TheBoyWhoLived, and TheBoyWhoWasFeared
by JLHERC
Summary: 6th Year Harry Potter and Post Cell for Gohan. The stories were all about the boy who lived. But there was another...one who Voldemort feared. One who could turn the tide of the battle against evil. GohanVidel, HarryGinny, RonHermione. I really hate the l
1. Prologue

**JLHERC: **Well…I'm writing again. Finally finished High School and have more free time. This is my first Chapter, and only a prologue. Don't worry; the following chapters will be much, much longer.

**To set the stage:** This is after book five of the Harry Potter series, and five years after Cell has been defeated by Gohan. The rest will be revealed with time.

Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once. I don't own Harry Potter or DBZ. If I did, I would be incredibly rich and have no need to work… sigh … oh well  on with the show.__

**Prologue:**

Dumbledore sighed as he knocked on the small wooden door before him. His tired blue eyes looked out over the surrounding beauty in silence. It had been almost 16 years since he visited this house. Within a few seconds he heard soft footsteps walking up to the door. A black-haired woman of average height opened the door and looked out at Dumbledore for a moment. "Can I help…Albus?!" He gave a simple nod before she flew out the door and grabbed him in a fierce hug.

            Dumbledore chuckled lightly as he returned the hug. "I must say Chichi. The years have been kind to you. You look the same age as when I last saw you." Chichi blushed, but smiled at the same time. She turned and motioned for Dumbledore to follow her inside as she spoke.

            "Well, that's not entirely natural. I'm sure you remember my husband?" He nodded. "He did something that causes me to age the same as him. Which I must say is much slower than a normal human." Dumbledore only raised an eyebrow and allowed that quiet twinkle to shine in his eyes. "I hate to dampen the mood sir, but the last time you showed up at my doorstep was to inform me of the death of two of my best friends. As much as I might enjoy your company, I highly doubt it is only a social call."

            For a second, the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to dim. "Alas Chichi, you always were a shrewd one. I am afraid there is a bit more to my visit than a social call." Another deep sigh left him before he continued. "I think it is time for Gohan to join us at Hogwarts. You have personally taught him these past 5 years, but his presence is going to be needed now. Morale is dropping and the students need a boost to keep things from deteriorating into chaos. I…" His voice seemed to fail him for a moment as he spoke.

            Chichi immediately held a hand out to comfort him. "Let me get you something to drink before you try to continue." She quickly jumped up to prepare him a mug of hot chocolate. Dumbledore smiled as he received the warm mug.

            "Ah…you still remember my favorite. Thank you very much." He took a long sip from the mug before readying himself. "You remember James and Lily's son, Harry?" Chichi only nodded. "He has grown into a very powerful young wizard. He will be starting his sixth year at Hogwarts this year. But I'm afraid that even his presence as the Boy-Who-Lived is not enough to keep the students from breaking down. Not to mention, I don't think a single boy deserves the weight of the world. I've been in that position several times myself and I hate to put him through it." His eyes resumed their twinkle before his next statement. "I think it's time we put a little fear into Voldemort."

            Surprisingly, Chichi laughed. "Albus, you have no idea. Gohan hasn't had the easiest of childhoods. He became the most powerful person on the planet at 11, right before I started teaching him about his magical heritage." She then began recounting the events that lead up to Gohan's eleventh birthday. She began with the Radditz incident, the kidnapping by Piccolo, the fight with Nappa and Vegeta, the trip to Namek, and then made it all the way to the Cell games before she began to have trouble speaking. "I'm sure you read in the muggle news about the Cell games, right?" Dumbledore nodded silently. "Well that wasn't a hoax or anything. It was real. Gohan, Goku, and the rest of their fighting friends left to go and fight him. Cell wasn't a normal fighter. He was more powerful than any enemy they have ever faced before. Goku and Gohan had to undergo special training to prepare for the fight. During the fight, Gohan was pushed to a level of power that blew Cell out of the water. But in the process….Goku…he…he…" Tears were threatening to overflow from her eyes. She could not speak from holding back the sobs. Then before anything else could be said, a deep voice spoke from the doorway. "He died." Gohan walked into the room with a towel draped over his shoulders, still sweaty from training. "My own foolishness made him sacrifice himself to save the world. Cell's fate was fully in my hands. I could have ended it instantly like my father said, but I didn't. I killed him. It was my own fault." Gohan's eyes were clouded over with pain and remorse as he stared at the ground. Dumbledore sat at the table, his mug forgotten and his eyes much wider than normal.

            "I must say, that is quite an impressive history my boy." He stood to his feet and placed his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Despite what you think, everyone is entitled to mistakes, especially young people. I must say I made more than my fair share of mistakes as a young man. The time with spaghetti for example, I don't think that my dear parents…" He trailed off after seeing the bewildered look on Gohan's face. He chuckled before continuing. "Forgive me I managed to digress, that happens every now and then. But Gohan, your father was an incredible man. I myself was proud to call him friend. More than anything, he would have wanted to die while making sure his family and friends were safe. It looks to me like he did just that. I am also sure that if you were to speak with him, you would find that he didn't blame you at all for what happened that day. Goku was a very forgiving person." Gohan could only smile at this statement. His father even forgave his enemies. "Now Gohan, would you be willing to train someone for me?" Gohan looked up a bit skeptical.

            "Train someone? I've never done that before. Even my little brother, Goten, has been trained by my mother." Gohan looked uncomfortable.

            "That may all be true, but the person who must be trained is someone who may benefit from your company. He is very similar to you. I think that time spent with you training would not only increase his physical and magical abilities, but also help him regain his confidence." He turned to Chichi. "Would you mind having Harry stay here with your family for about a month? I'm sure Gohan has the _facilities_ to bring him up to his level in that amount of time."

            "Of course Albus. It would be great to see the son of Lily and James again. The last time I got a good look at him was when he and Gohan were born on the same day in the hospital. Lily and I were ecstatic." Dumbledore nodded with a faint smile on his face. Turning back to Gohan, he looked back down into the young man's face.

            "Well? Think you can manage to train Harry Potter?" Gohan considered everything before the classic Son Grin spread across his face.

            "Well, considering that he and I both survived our confrontations with Tom, that he is the Boy-Who-Lived, and that I am the Boy-Who-Was-Feared, I don't think there will be any problems." He absently rubbed a finger across the star shaped scar that resided on his chest. Dumbledore nodded before smiling broadly.

            "Thank you both very much. I will return with Harry later this afternoon." With that he disappeared with a small pop. Gohan raised an eyebrow.

            "Mom, don't the wards prevent that in here?" She nodded and then spoke.

            "Yes, but we have them keyed to certain people so that some of our friends can visit. Albus is one of them." Gohan's mind understood immediately.

            "You were right mom, Professor Dumbledore is a great man, even if he is a little odd." He laughed lightly as he left the room to shower. Chichi smiled at the change in Gohan. These past five years had been hard on him. Dumbledore came and made everything right in one visit. She quickly brought her thoughts back and went to prepare the guest bedroom.

JLHERC: Hopefully, updates will be quick and regular. So review and I'll have another chapter out soon.


	2. New Beginnings

**JLHERC: ****Wow… me having another chapter out in a week is great. Being out of school helps a lot with my writing. This chapter is still a bit slow, but don't worry the action is coming.  Ichi13(), I realize that there were only two boys born at the same time in the book… but this isn't the book now is it?****Suuki-Aldrea, Ttrunks, videl87() thanks for the encouragement. And now, the next chapter. I won't bother with another disclaimer, one time is enough.******

Harry sank slowly down onto his bed. He had just arrived back from the train station. The Dursleys hadn't spoken to him much on the way home. Aunt Petunia had actually asked him how the school year had gone. He had answered her question in a voice barely above a whisper. After that, nothing else was really said. Even Uncle Vernon had spoken little. Dudley had for once, not sat in fear of Harry. Instead, he had a look of interest on his face. Harry fell from his sitting position to lie on his back. A single event would not stop playing through his mind. Over and over he saw Sirius falling back into that black void, and he couldn't help but realize it was his fault. A single tear rolled its way down his face. "_I can't believe it. I finally get a family, a real family, and I blow it. It was my fault. I let Voldemort fool me and this it what happens…_" He curled into a small ball on his bed and his body became racked with silent sobs. Then and there, a vow began to form in his mind. "_Tomorrow, I begin practicing magic. Whether the Ministry likes it or not, I will practice. And when I get through Voldemort is going to pay._" His eyes still let the tears fall, but the sobs had stopped, and his brilliant green eyes held a fire that was rare in both wizards and muggles.

            A large figure stood outside his door looking at the smaller boy with sympathy. Dudley had a very enlightening school year. He had spent lots of time reading over the past school year. He had also spent a lot of the school year thinking. He realized just how bad he and his parents had treated Harry over the years. "_Maybe I should ask him if everything is alright. It's a step in redeeming myself. Though it's going to be hard._" He slowly opened the door and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Harry immediately shot up on the bed to stare at Dudley.

            "What?" He said, looking at Dudley a bit angrily as he wiped his eyes.

            Dudley looked down at his feet for a moment before speaking to Harry. "I'm sorry for everything Harry. It took me a long time to realize how cruel my family has been to you. I only hope I can make it up to you eventually." He walked over to the bed, a truly apologetic look on his face. "And right now I was just wondering how you are doing. You didn't seem to be too happy."

            Harry looked up at the larger boy skeptically. Then he sighed and dropped his eyes. "No Dudley, I'm far from happy. Because of me, my godfather was killed. He's the closest thing to a true family I had left and my stupidity let him get killed." Harry squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from falling.

            Dudley paused before taking a seat in the only chair in the room. "How did it happen?"

            For some reason, Harry found himself willing to open up and talk to the cousin who had always treated him so badly. "Voldemort. He is an evil wizard who is killing off normal people and wizards alike. He is the one who killed my parents. They didn't die in a car crash. In the past year, I've started having visions that show me what Voldemort is doing. Well at the end of the school year, he showed me a vision. Somehow he made the vision show him torturing my godfather." Harry took a deep breath here. "I panicked. Five of my friends and I left the school and went to the place that he was being held at. We got there and fell right into a trap. Several of them were injured on the way out. In the process, a group of my teacher, my godfather, and a few others flew into the room. They proceeded to kick butt. There was one person in particular that wouldn't make it out. During the fight, my godfather was knocked into a tapestry. That tapestry was a one way ticket to his death." Harry's head fell to his chest as he finished, unable to keep his head held high any longer. As he stared at his feet, the tears began to fall once again. Then he felt a large heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Dudley of all people offering him comfort.

            "Harry, I know I've been far from the smartest person for most of my life, but I'm trying to change that. And the story I just heard has a few holes in it. First of all, if it was your fault, then why did you say this Voldemort guy tricked you? From what I understand, a trick is one person fooling another. And your story fits that description. You can't blame yourself for your godfather's death. If he came to rescue you, then I'm sure he knew the risks." Dudley sat back in the chair, removing his hand. "I know I'm not really one to talk, but I just thought I'd try." He stood up and started moving towards the door.

            Harry raised his head and looked at his cousin in a new light. "Dudley," The massive boy stopped where he was and turned his head. "thanks. Somehow, coming from you, it helps." Dudley gave him a smile and then continued out of the room. Harry fell back onto his bed again and slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

            The next morning he awoke to the sun glaring into his face and a soft tapping coming from the window. He looked over and saw a red figured sitting on his windowsill. For a moment he blinked, his mind wasn't fully functioning. Then he grabbed his glasses and it cleared up things. Fawkes, the phoenix companion of Dumbledore, sat outside his closed window waiting to be let in. Harry quickly jumped out of bed and opened the window. Fawkes flew in politely and held out his leg to Harry. Harry detached the note and then Fawkes disappeared with a small pop. Harry unfolded the small piece of parchment before him and he immediately became confused.

            _Harry, _

_                        Please keep everything packed; I will be arriving shortly to take you to a new place of residence. No, you will not be going to the burrow just yet. Where you are going is a place that is more secure than even Hogwarts. Now, eat a good breakfast, I will see you shortly._

_            Sincerely, _

_            Albus Dumbledore_

            For a moment Harry wondered what place could possibly be more secure than Hogwarts, the most secure location in the wizarding world. Not wanting to ponder it any longer, he jumped back out of his chair and went over to his trunk. He grabbed some clean clothes and then went to the bathroom for a quick shower. He came out and almost ran into Dudley. "Woa… sorry about that Dudley." He said as he regained his balance.

            Dudley shook his head. "It's alright Harry, I didn't see you either." He smiled slightly and then ducked into the bathroom himself. Harry began to realize just how much his once cruel cousin had changed. He headed back to his room and was greeted with the annoyed hooting of Hedwig.

            "Sorry girl. I wasn't feeling too great when I came home last night." He quickly gave her a few treats and got some fresh water. She hooted softly before nuzzling the top of her head against his. Harry smiled at his feathered friend. Turning back to his things, a thought came to him. "_I really should do something to say thank you to Dudley. He's really changed…what could I do though?_" He wracked his brain for a moment before whipping out one of his spell books. He flipped through it until he found a certain spell. Memorizing the spell easily, he began flipping again until he reached another. Satisfied that he knew them both, he then began to think. "_How am I supposed to cast the spell without the Ministry finding out?_" He was lost for ideas. "_I guess I'll wait until Dumbledore gets here. He can do it for me._" He quickly put his spell book back into his trunk and latched everything back down.

            He went down the stairs to the breakfast table where Dudley was just sitting down himself. Apparently, the house was still on a diet, each of them were quickly handed half a grapefruit. Harry spoke to neither of the adults, as he ate his half, not even coming close to being full. He waited a few seconds before he started getting up.

            "Um, uncle Vernon?" He spoke quietly to the large round man.

            "What boy?" He snarled back at him.

            "Just wanted to let you know that the headmaster of my school will be here soon to pick me up. I received a note this morning and apparently, he's arranged for me to stay somewhere else." Harry then turned to leave the room.

            "Well good riddance, filthy abomination." Vernon spat out before Harry could leave.

            Harry's shoulder's tensed up, but he kept walking instead of doing anything about it. He went back to his room and began dragging his heavy trunk towards the stairs. Before he reached them, Dudley appeared at the top. "Let me help you Harry." Harry smiled at him and they both grabbed a handle. All of his things were down near the front door in a very short time. Dudley began to head toward his room when Harry stopped him.

            "Dudley, here, let me give you something." He reached down and pulled a large sack from his trunk. Motioning to Dudley, they both moved up the stairs and out of range of the two adults. "In here is a bunch of food, candy, and some slightly alcoholic drinks. Don't worry, none of it is enough to mess you up. The only thing I would watch out for are the Every Flavor Beans. When they say every, they mean it." Dudley didn't move or speak for a moment as the words Harry had spoken sunk in.

            "Harry, I want to say again how sorry I am. I'm glad I realized how horrible I've been before now, especially now that you are leaving. I get the feeling that this may be the last time we see each other for a long time." Harry reached out and offered his hand to the larger boy. Dudley gripped his hand firmly and they both shared a look and a smile. Harry handed the bag to Dudley and went back down the stairs to wait. He was only waiting for perhaps ten minutes before a soft knock came at the door.

            Harry had the door open before uncle Vernon could even begin to stomp through the house. The towering figure of a smiling Dumbledore stepped through the door. "Hello Harry. I see you are ready to go. If you would give me a moment to speak with your aunt and uncle we will be off." Dumbledore was about to walk away before Harry stopped him.

            "Professor, would it be possible for me to cast a few spells? I want to give something to Dudley before I leave." Dumbledore nodded slightly before placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

            "I believe we can arrange that. This will hide your magical signature." A small shock went through Harry before Dumbledore continued toward the kitchen. Harry could only smile. First he conjured a necklace similar to a chain. Then, with another flourish of his wand, he finished what he wanted to do.

            Necklace in hand, he went back up the stairs to Dudley's room. Moment's later he came back down the stairs and met up with Dumbledore. He looked down at Harry. "Ready to go?" Harry nodded. Dumbledore brought out his wand and with a single wave, Harry's trunk was small enough to fit in a pocket. He did the same to Hedwig's cage after releasing her from it. Harry slipped them into his pocket. Dumbledore released Hedwig to fly on her own outside after mumbling a few words to her. "So Harry, what was it that you needed magic to do?"

            Harry smiled. "Well Professor, for the first time, coming here brought something nice. It seems that Dudley realized how horrible he's been and wanted to fix things. I was able to talk to him about Sirius last night." His voice cracked at the mention of his godfather and he began to tear up. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Well Dudley has had some trouble with his weight, I just gave him a charmed necklace that would help him lose weight. It's the least I could do for him trying so hard to change. He did what his parents couldn't." Dumbledore smiled. Harry allowed a smile to come back to his face. Then a thought hit him.

            "Professor, did that spell you cast on me earlier also help me to cast magic better?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and slightly shook his head. Harry was confused. He had cast both spells easily and on his first try. That couldn't be normal. "How did I cast those two spells so easily? I've never even studied them."

            "I do not know Harry. Though it is possible that your magic is maturing. That begins happening around your age. But usually it means more powerful spells, not easier casting. This is definitely a good thing though." He removed a small rock from his pocket. "Portus." He mumbled as he waved his wand over it. He held out the rock in his hand toward Harry. "Grab on and we will go where you will be staying for the next month." Harry placed a finger on the rock and a few seconds later that familiar feeling of a hook behind his navel was pulling him onward.

            He staggered as the feeling stopped, almost toppling over. Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder steadied him and kept him from falling. He turned his head and was greeted with the most beautiful scenery he had ever laid eyes on. A forest stretched for as far as the eye could see, behind them stood several impressive mountains, and the sky was as blue as it could be. "Where are we professor?"

            Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with their usual light. "This is the most secure place on the planet. Voldemort himself fears to tread on this ground." Dumbledore motioned for Harry to follow him. As they began walking, Dumbledore spoke. "Harry. There is a secret that I have kept from the entire world. During the first rise of Voldemort, there was one family that he feared above all others. It was a husband and wife. Their names were Chichi and Goku. You must understand, Voldemort did not wish to only rule the magical community, he desired control of the non-magical community as well. To do this, he employed armies of evil men, various creatures, and even made a pact with the demon king Piccolo. They were sad and fearful times for the muggle community." Harry was amazed, he had never heard this side of the Voldemort story. "But…there was one man who thwarted Voldemort's plans at every turn. Son Goku. Goku was a fighter. He had no magical abilities. But he did have powers that most of the magical world will never compare to. This one man stood against all of Voldemort's forces and repeatedly came out on top. But of course, he didn't do it alone forever. He gained quite a few allies along the way, eventually creating a fighting force that was nearly unstoppable." Harry was awed. He had never heard anything about this man.

            "Professor, why wasn't he ever mentioned in history books or remembered by people?"

            "Because no one knew that he was doing these things. Goku did not do them because he wanted to be the hero. He simply saw something wrong that needed to be fixed. He wished for no fame. He fought only to protect his friends, family, and anyone weaker than he was. Son Goku was truly a great man. I met him for the first time when he married Chichi. I had been keeping track of his exploits, and I must say, the real person was much more impressive than the stories about him." Dumbledore smiled a bit. "That is enough about Goku. I will leave it to others to tell you the rest."

            "How did no one notice these things professor? It makes no sense. From what you say, he's saved the world multiple times. How could that go un-noticed?" Harry asked bewildered.

            "Well, for a while, everyone knew of him, but there was a certain witch that took an interest in Goku when she was young. When they finally got together, she cast a very powerful memory charm that made everyone forget about his deeds until they saw him. It was an incredible spell. Chichi was an incredible witch. Her powers are greater than even my own." He smiled fondly. "Chichi met Goku when she was eleven, right before she started attending Wizarding School. They were meant for each other from the start. It infuriated more than one guy that they couldn't interest the fiery woman. I met her myself when her headmaster mentioned her abilities. As a student, she had no equal. As a witch, she still had no equal. I only regret that she couldn't attend Hogwarts. It would have been refreshing."

            "Wow…Wait, if she was so powerful, then why didn't she take out Voldemort?" Dumbledore sighed at this.

            "She feared for her family. She married Goku immediately after leaving school, and then moved out here. When she moved out here, she met another married couple. I believe you've heard of them. They went by James and Lily." Harry gasped.

            "Goku and Chichi were friends with my parents?" Dumbledore gave a small nod. "Then, why didn't my parents and I come to live here when they were hiding from Voldemort? If this place is so safe, why couldn't they come here?"

            A pained expression came over his face. "Let me tell you a bit of background first. Chichi and Goku had a son on the same day as your parents. They were ecstatic that you two could share the same birthday. But, then Voldemort attacked Chichi and Goku. They were forced out of the house, and made to defend their property against a horde of Voldemort's followers. Voldemort himself was able to sneak into the house where their son was waiting. Just as with you, he used the killing curse on him." Harry jumped in.

            "Poor guy. He didn't have the same protection as I do, he wouldn't have been able to survive would he?" Dumbledore chuckled a little.

            "No Harry, he didn't have the same protection you had. But he was far from defenseless. The spell hit him in the chest and left a star-shaped scar, but did no damage to him other than that. In fact, the little baby woke up screaming in rage. The sheer amounts of power he displayed sent Voldemort running in fear. Quite a humorous site actually. I arrived just in time to see him running away from the house. After that, Goku and Chichi refused to leave the area of their house for quite a while." His smile fell from his face. "James and Lily would have gone here, but they couldn't get in touch with Goku and Chichi in time to perform the Fidelus Charm. So they came up with another safe house and the rest is as you know it. Goku and Chichi were horrified when they heard the news."

            "Oh…damn." Harry blushed when he realized his slip of the tongue. "Voldemort's caused a lot of pain hasn't he…" Dumbledore only nodded at Harry's statement.  "Well, that's just one more reason for me to take him down." Harry's eyes were glowing with fierce determination.

            "Ah…it seems we have arrived." He pushed aside one last tree branch to reveal a large clearing and a small house in the middle. Everything seemed at peace. That peace was demolished when a loud voice shook the trees around them.

            "GOTEN! GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" Silence reigned for all of two seconds. "NO! KEEP AWAY FROM THE IRON! ARG! YOU ARE DEFINITELY YOUR FATHER'S CHILD!" Harry stared wide-eyed and slightly fearful. They were only standing there for a few seconds when a black and red blur came speeding out of the door. It stopped after dashing to the side of the house and hiding. It was a little boy with spiky and unruly hair. He had a large red spot on his forehead as though something had hit him, but he was muffling his giggles as he hid behind a bush. A petite black-haired woman stormed to the door a moment later. Her face showed the rage she was about to let loose. "GOTEN! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW! YOU BROKE MY IRON!" Her eyes roved over the entire yard until they landed on Harry and Dumbledore standing at the tree line in shock. Her entire look transformed into a sweet smile. "Albus! You are back." She said walking quickly over to them. She turned to Harry. "And you are most definitely Harry. Last time I saw you, you were a baby. It's been so long. And look at you. You look so underfed. We simply can't have that. Come on, into the house. Now."

            Harry moved automatically. For some reason, he didn't think that disobeying this woman would be a good idea. As he approached the house, he couldn't help but think that things were about to change for the better. He felt like his earlier promise to make Voldemort pay was about to come true.


	3. Revealing the Past

**JLHERC: **Ah… here's the next chapter. I'm writing as fast as I can without letting the quality of my work suffer. I have the idea for the entire story, it's just gonna take me some time to get it out. Anyway, on with the show.  

Thanks to my reviewers: videl187 (thanks for the enthusiasm), Tenshi no Hikaru, Vegnagun,

            Harry sat in the kitchen in complete silence. He was sipping a mug of hot chocolate along with Chichi and Dumbledore in the kitchen. "So let me get this," He began. "Someone is going to train me for only this month and make me powerful enough to destroy Voldemort."

            "Hopefully, yes. But…you will not be the only one to face Voldemort. Chichi's son, Gohan, is the one who will be training you. I would tell you his story, but I think he can do it best. He has been through perhaps even more than you Harry." Harry's eyes widened a bit. "Well, if that is all, I must be going. I need to attend to a few things." He rose and began walking out the door. Harry sat still for a moment before dashing out the door to stop him.

            "Professor!" Dumbledore stopped and turned to face him. "I just wanted to apologize about your office. If there is any way I can reimburse you for the damage, let me know." Dumbledore nodded and almost turned to leave. Harry's next words stopped him. "But. I am not sorry for all I have said. I reiterate that I will not be a pawn in the war against Voldemort. I will not be a simple tool to be used. This war is going to be fought on my terms, and if you continue to attempt to use me as a tool, I will not be happy." Harry's eyes were narrowed at the older man.

            Dumbledore's eyes seemed to fade. "You are very much right Harry. Please forgive an old man his many mistakes. I promise to do my best to inform you of everything in the future. I hope we can restore the friendship that I hoped we had Harry, but that is entirely up to you."

            Harry looked at him for a moment. Then stepped forward and embraced the older man in a large hug. Dumbledore looked surprised for a moment before he returned the hug. "I think I would like to restore our friendship professor. You are the closest thing I have to a grandfather. That's the way I've always thought of you." Dumbledore smiled at this. The twinkle finally came back to his eyes. After a moment Harry stepped back. "Will my friends be able to send owls to me here?" Dumbledore could only nod, he was too happy at the moment to speak. "Wonderful! Well sir, I guess I will see you again in a month." Dumbledore gave a small smile before he disappeared with a loud crack.

            Harry stood there for a minute. "Damn." He swore softly. "I don't know how much I can tell my friends." He turned and slowly went back into the house. When he reached the kitchen, Chichi turned from the sink and smiled.

            "Alright Harry, how about I show you the room you will be staying in?" He nodded and moved toward his trunk. Before he could grab the full-size trunk, Chichi picked it up with one hand and moved up the nearby stairs. For a moment, he stood stunned. That trunk gave him and Ron trouble when they lifted it together. Shaking his head in disbelief, he followed her up the stairs. Coming to a stop, she pushed open a door near the end of the hall. "This will be your room for the next month. That's the bathroom and that is Gohan's room." She said pointing down the hall and then to the door across from his. "Gohan is the one that will be training you. He's my son." A look of fierce pride appeared on her face for a moment. "Well, I'll leave you get settled in here. Gohan will be back soon and you can meet him. I sent him to get firewood." Harry only nodded as she left.

            Harry needed little time to set all of his things up in the room. His broom and invisibility cloak were in the closet along with his cauldron and a few other things. His clothes were in the dresser, and all of his books were all placed on the small bookshelf in the room. When he finished up, he plopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was once again having guilty thoughts. He could feel them threatening to overwhelm him again. Forcing himself back up, he stared out into the nearby forest. "_It's so beautiful here. Everything is at peace. You wouldn't know that Voldemort is out there threatening everyone._" He sat staring for quite a while.

            The silence wasn't broken until a knock came at his door. He turned and was greeted with one of the most powerful people he had ever seen. Son Gohan was not a bulky looking person. But the way he held himself was unmistakable. He was powerful. "I'm going to assume that you would be Harry Potter. I don't think my mom has accepted many other scrawny looking boys with a scar on their forehead." Gohan smirked at Harry before extending his hand in greeting. "I am Son Gohan. I've been asked to train you." Harry reached out and shook the offered hand, regaining his voice in the process.

            "Yea, I'm Harry. Nice to meet you Gohan." He released the hand and then sat back on the bed. "So how exactly are you going to be training me?"

            Gohan laughed a bit. "I have no clue." Harry's eyes widened in confusion. "I've never trained anyone before. I suppose we might start with physical, move to ki, and then finally spiritual energy." Harry's face scrunched up in even more confusion. Gohan noticed this. "What? Did I say something weird?"

            "No, I guess it will be explained later. Right now I'm kind of hungry. When is dinner?" Gohan laughed.

            "Ah, you will fit in perfectly here. Come on. That's actually why I came up here." He stood and Harry followed him downstairs to the kitchen. Halfway down the stairs, he could hear a voice whining.

            "Aww… mom! Why do I have to wait? I wanna eat!" There was a loud clang followed by a single word. "Ouch!"

            "Goten! We have a guest, don't be rude!" Harry and Gohan walked into the kitchen. Gohan sat down next to Goten and Harry next to him.  Chichi smiled and immediately began placing loads of food on the table. Harry's eyes widened.

            "Um, are you expecting more people for dinner Mrs. Chichi?" Chichi looked up, confused for a moment.

            "Oh yes, I always forget how much my boys eat. No Harry, this is just for us. And call me Chichi. "Mrs." sounds so old." She grabbed her portions from the food on the table and then gestured for Harry to do the same. "Get yours now, or you won't be able to once they start." Harry quickly complied. Moments later, he was unable to eat as he watched the sight before him. Harry could find no words to describe it. Ron liked to eat, and he at a fast pace. But it was nothing compared to the two before him.

            Harry soon overcame his amazement and wolfed down the food before him. It was even better than Mrs. Weasley's cooking. He hesitantly got more food off of the table, he was very sure to be weary of the two garbage disposals to his right. About fifteen minutes later, every scrap of food on the table was gone. Gohan and Goten sat back in their chairs, nursing sore stomachs. Harry could hardly believe what he had just seen. He had eaten three helpings, but he lost count of how many the two boys had eaten.

            "Wow, how do you eat that much?" The three family members all smiled.

            "I'll explain that to you later. That will be a part of your training." Gohan said as he stood up. "Get some sleep. We'll be starting early in the morning." They both headed back up the stairs. Gohan stopped and turned to Harry. "I know you've had a pretty rough childhood. Dumbledore told me all about it. You aren't alone Harry. Believe it or not, I've been through as much and more. I'll tell you about it later. Goodnight man."

            "Goodnight." Harry said quietly as they entered their rooms. He moved to the desk chair and sat down. He pulled out his quill and some parchment and started a letter.

            Dumbledore,

                        First off I want to apologize one last time for what I did to your office. I hope I can do something to repay you for all of the damages. And I forgot to ask you, what all can I tell my friends? This feels like something that they might not need to know. Please write back soon.

            Harry

He folded up the parchment and tied it to Hedwig. Giving her a soft pat and a treat, he opened the window. "Take this to Dumbledore girl, and come back as soon as possible." With a soft hoot, she lifted off into the air. Harry spent a moment looking out at the small speck that was Hedwig. His eyes began to droop and he realized just how tired he was. He quickly changed into his boxers and dropped into the comfortable bed. "Man, this is even better than the beds at Hogwarts." Within moments, he was completely gone.

            He awoke the next morning to a knock at his door. For a moment he was surprised that it wasn't a nightmare that woke him. "_I must have been too tired to even have nightmares. I hope I keep that up._" He turned to the door as another knock sounded. "Yeah, come in." He mumbled through his grogginess. Gohan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

            "Come on out now man. It's almost nine. We have to head out to the place we will be training. You had better get used to being up even earlier, I let you sleep in today." Harry groaned as he rolled out of the bed. "Grab a quick shower and then come down to the breakfast table. We'll be waiting." Harry voiced no argument as he went to the bathroom and jumped into the water.

            Gohan joined Chichi at the table as they waited. "Mom, it's horrible. It will take me at least a month in the Room to get him to normal size. I can't believe what that family has done to him. He doesn't look anywhere near his age." Chichi's face took on a clouded expression.

            "I could have changed it all. If Goku and I hadn't been scared for you, his parents would probably still be alive. I feel so horrible." Her eyes dropped to the table in sorrow.

            "No mom, don't blame it on you. It's not your fault, and there is no reason to think so. I spent most of the last five years blaming myself for no reason. Don't you start now." Chichi looked up at her son with a smile. 

            "Thanks Gohan. I knew I raised you right." She got up from the table and began bringing out the food. A few minutes later, Harry joined them and was once again amazed at the spectacle that unfolded before his eyes. Shortly after they were finished eating, Gohan motioned for Harry to follow him outside. Gohan didn't speak, only walked. Harry did not question him and followed. They walked for almost ten minutes through the forest. Gohan finally stopped in a large clearing with a waterfall and a river casting a relaxing sound over the area. Harry looked around at the scenery surrounding him.

            "Welcome to my hideaway Harry. This place is where I come to contemplate, meditate, and relax. I found it shortly after my dad died." Gohan stared into the river that ran through the clearing.

            "This place is amazing. I can understand why you would use it to relax." He stared at the place where the waterfall fell, absorbed in its beauty.

            "So, tell me about the amazing Harry Potter. I almost thought you would be walking around bathed in magical energy or something. Everyone thinks pretty highly of you. Especially after that little bit in the ministry of magic." Gohan turned towards Harry and then plopped himself onto the ground.

            Harry sighed as he was brought back to the events that had recently occurred. "Harry Potter isn't that great at all. Everything that has happened to me has been luck. I survived Voldemort that first time through luck and my mother's love." He dropped down onto the ground across from Gohan. "My first year in Hogwarts pitted me against Voldemort again. My second year threw me against the 16-year-old version of Voldemort, and his pet basilisk. I barely managed to save Ginny's life." Something caused Harry to choke up for a second here. Gohan of course noticed, and saved that information for later. "The third year saw the escape of my Godfather from Azkaban. My fourth year was the TriWizard Tournament. Because of it, a student lost his life. And the past year was the cause of Sirius's death. Because I couldn't learn to control my damn connection with Voldemort, Sirius got killed. Yeah Harry Potter is great." Harry was actually slightly angry now.

            Gohan looked at Harry for a minute and then laughed. "Yeah, that vision of Sirius being tortured was pretty rough. I thought it was just a dream myself. That was before I was told I could see Voldemort's visions as well. Quite a shocker I assure you." Harry stared wide-eyed at Gohan. "Yeah, I got a scar as well. A bit different than yours though. Yeah, Harry. You've had it pretty bad. Those relatives sound like the worst. I can assure you, I've been through worse than you have though. What you've been through has been really bad compared to the average person. What I have gone through would make most men insane. I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind myself." Harry leaned forward, interested.

            "What happened? How could anything be worse than what I've been through?" Gohan sighed.

            "Well it all started about 35 years ago. A pod hit the earth and started the legacy of the greatest man this world has ever seen." Gohan seemed to swell up with pride as he began the story of his father. Harry was listening slack-jawed as the story began to unfold. If he didn't live in a world of magic, most of it would be hard to believe.  Gohan's story lasted almost 3 hours. As he reached the part about Cell, he began to speak slower. "Something snapped in me when that android's head was destroyed. It was like a door was thrown open. All I could feel was the power. I easily destroyed the Cell Juniors. They were nothing compared to the power I had. Neither was Cell. I should have destroyed him the second I gained all of that power, but I didn't. Instead I began to toy with him. I wanted to make him feel every ounce of pain that he had caused. When I made him cough up 18, things changed."

            He laughed, but no humor made it into his laugh. "That was the only good thing about what I did. Krillin and 18 are married now, and they have a kid. It's pretty funny now that I think about it. Krillin was terrified of her when they first met." He sighed and managed to veer back on topic. "But anyway, after 18 was out of him, Cell got desperate. He decided to blow himself up. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't attack him, he might explode, and I couldn't throw him away from Earth either, it was too risky. Then, my father stood up from the ground where he had been laying. He gave a sad smile to his friends, and then teleported right next to Cell, one hand on the stomach of that foul creature. I'll never forget the look in his eyes as he turned to me. That was when I first started blaming it on myself. I could feel my stomach turn over, and I nearly lost my lunch there." He stopped, barely able to speak.

            "That was the last time I saw my dad in this world. With a wave, he teleported Cell away and saved Earth one final time. For a moment, everyone thought it was over. But he came back Cell was able to regenerate. And this time, his power was easily a match for mine. After Cell killed Mirai, Vegeta went into a rage. But it was nothing to Cell. Cell almost killed Vegeta. It cost me my arm to be able to save him. I thought it was the end right there. I pulled off the Kamehameha with one hand. To this day I'm amazed that I pulled that much power in my condition. Despite this though, I couldn't push back Cell's beam. We were at a standoff for a good three minutes before "it" happened. I was at the end of my rope, Cell was very close to winning our standoff." Once again, Gohan had to stop and compose himself.

            "You don't have to finish if you can't." Harry said. "I'll understand."

            "No, it's fine. This just all brings back old emotions. I'll live. My dad talked to me. He managed to save the world even in death. If he hadn't helped me bring out all of my power, Cell would have won. Before you ask, I don't mean his memory helped me. He helped me. My dad was the master of death. He told it when it could have him, and he didn't settle for a second less than he needed." He sighed as he fell back onto the soft grass behind him. "That's about it. I've spent most of the past five years training and becoming more powerful. I've also managed to master all of my magical studies and normal studies." Harry fell back to the grass as well.

            "Wow. I guess there are some people who have it worse than me. How did you manage through all of it?"

            "Part of it comes from my saiyan heritage. It helps me to manage my feelings better. Though it also makes some feelings more intense. Love and anger for example. Those are the two most extreme emotions for a saiyan.  And I guess part of it was my dad. He was always this invincible person that was there for me. No matter how bad things got, my dad always showed up and saved me and everyone else. He was amazing. Part of why I trained is my hope to be like him. I don't know if I will ever match up to him, but I'm damn sure gonna try."

            Harry nodded absently. "_Surprisingly, I'm not amazed at most of this. It is amazing, but after everything that I've been through, this is just another day in the life of Harry Potter._" Shaking out of his reverie, he turned back to Gohan. A question immediately jumped to his mind. "Gohan, what is it like to kill someone?"

            Gohan stared into the sky without speaking for a moment. "Cell was really the first person I killed, and he wasn't even a person. All of the others were just severely injured by whatever I did. If they died I never saw it and I was never told. Kill Cell was actually satisfying. I didn't actually feel that I had killed someone. I felt more like I had stopped a plague. Don't worry that you have to kill Voldemort. For one thing, it will be revenge for your parents, Cedric, and Sirius. It will also be a blessing to everyone in the world. Don't think less of yourself because you have to kill that thing." Harry stared at Gohan. It was amazing how easily Gohan understood him. They spent a few more minutes relaxing before heading back to the house.

            Harry spent the rest of the day getting used to his new surroundings. Gohan was even more intelligent than Hermione. He didn't flaunt it however. Goten could brighten any situation with his childish antics. He also never seemed to get tired. Chichi was both a mother and a source of fear. You could not do anything wrong around the woman, she would use her incredible voice to strike fear into your heart. It was a very loving household. Harry found himself just as at home here as he was with the Weasley's. He still had trouble dealing with the way Gohan and Goten ate, but it was ok. That night he settled into bed after reading the return note from Dumbledore. It was his choice what to tell his friends.

            "_This is a first. They aren't giving me any instructions. It's my choice huh…I actually think I'll keep my friends in the dark about this for the moment. I can surprise them when I see them later this summer."_ An image came into his mind without warning. Ginny. _"Woa, what made me suddenly think of Ginny? She really is an amazing girl."_ He thought to himself as the events of the past year came to his mind. _"And she's beautiful as well."_ Harry's eye's widened in surprise. _"Get a grip on yourself, that's Ron's little sister!"_ But another thought hit him just as hard. _"That's the same thing everyone else does to you. They all think of you as the Boy-Who-Lived. Is it right to think of Ginny as nothing more than Ron's little sister? I've thought of her that way all these years, no wonder she finally gave up on me."_ He could feel himself getting sleepier. _"I hope I can mend things and at least become friends."_ The rest of his thoughts drifted off into his sleepy mind.

            Dumbledore sat in his office chair, staring into his pensive. He was deep in thought. That evening as the Hogwart's staff sat at dinner, Trelawney had made her third true prediction. The scene unfolded before his eyes.

            Dinner was peaceful with no students there. The staff was eating peacefully with a small amount of chatter going on. Everything seemed fine. Trelawney had suddenly let out a wail, and thrown back her head. When she spoke her voice was not hers. "It begins!"

            "LIGHTNING HAS MET THE STAR. THE DARK ONE CAN NO LONGER STAND. THE STAR WILL BRING FORTH HIS WARRIORS OF THE LIGHT TO FIGHT THE DARK ONE'S BEINGS OF THE EARTH. IN THE FINAL BATTLE, LIGHTNING AND THE STAR WILL CALL FORTH THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD TO BATTLE THE SOUL STEALERS. TOGETHER THEY WILL DEFEAT THE DARK ONE'S SPIRITUAL FORCES. LIGHTNING ALONE WILL FACE THE DARK ONE WHILE THE STAR ENSURES SAFETY." She collapsed back into her chair before sitting back up. "Oh, I must have had a spell there. I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me. If you all don't mind, I think I will retire to my rooms for the night." She stood up and walked out of the room.

            For a moment there was a stunned silence in the room. Everyone except Dumbledore was unable to comprehend exactly what had happened. His mind was racing. It seemed that victory was assured now, but there had to be a catch. The other teachers were talking amongst themselves at the moment. McGonagall was the first to speak; she had the least amount of faith in Trelawney's abilities. "Albus, what have we just witnessed?"

            "Trelawney's third real prediction." They all gasped in amazement. "Yes, contrary to popular belief, she does give true predictions. They are just rare and few." They all silently returned to their meals after this, nothing left to say in their minds.

            Dumbledore ran his hands over his face as the memory in the pensieve ended. _"Despite my promise to Harry, I can't let him know about this. No one can know about this besides the teachers. This knowledge could actually lead to Harry's defeat if he is too confident in himself." _He sighed once more before putting the pensieve back in it's place and going to bed.

JLHERC: Next Chapter starts the action. No more boring explaining and stuff.


	4. Let the training begin!

JLHERC: 4th Chapter. I wish I could have someone else type my thoughts. I have the entire story in my head, I just get so bored with the typing part. Oh, and if anyone notices any mistakes throughout the story, please let me know. I have no one to read my works before I post them. So I have to rely on the Spell and Grammar Checker in Word and my own abilities. I also got sick this past weekend, and I really wasn't up to typing or thinking for a while. That's why this one is late.

Thanks again to all my reviewers.

            Harry awoke around four in the morning with a gasp. He had been dreaming about the Ministry. This time, Sirius wasn't the only one who fell through the veil. All of his friends who had gone had fallen through as well. He ran a hand through his unruly hair as he got out of the bed. He knew there would be no more sleep for him. These nightmares had been common since everything happened. He walked over to the window and opened it. He was immediately assaulted by a tiny ball of feathers. Sighing, he grabbed the hyper little owl out of the air. Attached to his leg were three letters.

            "Three letters?" Harry said to himself. "That's unusual." He gave the tiny owl a treat and then sat him on the perch next to Hedwig. She scooted away from the annoying owl that was still twitching and moving. Harry opened the first letter and discovered that it was from Ron.

            _Harry,_

_                        How are you mate? Those pigs you are related to had better be treating you ok. I still can't believe Dumbledore will never let you come straight over here. Oh yeah, we're back in the Burrow this summer. They put up a whole mess of wards. It's been pretty peaceful so far. _

_            Oh, guess what mate!? Know how those brains got a hold on me? Well there were a few good side effects from it all. Not only do I have an easier time learning, I also have increased magical abilities. It's great, I might be able to match up to you now. _

_            Another thing, how are you? Not moping over Sirius I hope. If you are, then stop. It wasn't your fault. That's all the lecturing I'm gonna do, I'll let Hermione take care of the rest of it. Well, rest easy mate. We'll get Dumbledore to let you out of that hell hole soon enough. Cheers mate._

_            Ron_

            Harry frowned a little as he read what Ron wrote. He really did feel guilty about what had happened to his friends, but he was glad something good came from the whole ordeal. _"But he's not even the same Ron anymore. His writing style is even different." _Sighing, he got ready to move to the next letter. He wished they wouldn't give him sympathy; it wasn't what he wanted right now. He opened the next letter that ended up coming from Hermione.

            _Harry,_

                        How are you doing so far? I'm so glad I don't have to take all of those awful potions anymore. Well, if you didn't guess, I'm at the Burrow with Ron. Dumbledore moved me here for safety because of the new wards they have added. I can't wait to get my OWL results. I hope I didn't mess up my Arithmancy one. Those foul Dursleys had better be treating you right. That warning they were given should have put a little fear in them.

_            I just want to tell you to not blame yourself for Sirius Harry. It's not your fault at all. If you have to blame someone, blame Voldemort. None of this has ever been your fault. We are here for you Harry. We are your friends and want to help you. _

_            Well, I want to write more, but Ron is being a git and wants to send Pig right away. Write back!_

_            With Love,_

_            Hermione_

            Once again Harry frowned. They may be his friends, but all they offered was sympathy. He sighed. _"I wonder if anyone knows what I want…"_ He moved on to the third letter. It was written in an unfamiliar hand. Unable to contain his curiosity, he quickly opened the letter and began to read. It was from Ginny.

            _Harry,_

_                        Surprised that I wrote you? Yeah, I surprised myself. But I thought it was necessary. I'm the only person who knows how you feel. You feel as though Sirius's death is all your fault. That is the same way I felt back at the end of my first year. I didn't know how I would face Hermione or Colin again. I don't think it's your fault Harry, but it's you who has to realize that, not me. I'll be here for you if you want to confide in me. I can't say we've been the best of friends over the years. But I guess I did have a hand in that. Anyway, I've got to go. Ron doesn't know I'm sending this so I have to catch Pig outside of the window as he leaves. Be careful over the summer Harry, especially with those pigs you are forced to live with. Bye._

_            Love,_

_            Ginny_

            Harry stared in shock for a moment at the letter at his hands before he reread it twice. Who would have thought that Ginny would know exactly how he felt? She had nailed it right down. _"I should have known she would know. She's been through some pretty rough stuff. Ginny sure is an amazing girl. Why couldn't I see all of that before now."_ Then he remembered the very last conversation on the Hogwart's train. _"Smooth Potter, realize how incredible she is after she gets a guy." _He sighed and put the letter away. Getting up, he decided to grab a quick shower before anyone else got up. He was done fairly quickly and it was still only five. He grabbed a book from his trunk and decided to get in a little reading before his supposed training started.

            Gohan had been up since three. He almost always was. The mornings were the best times to meditate and clear his mind. Despite how long it had been, he was still troubled by his father's death. He didn't let it sit on his mind constantly, but it was never far from the surface. Bringing himself back to the present, he got to his feet and headed into the house. The sun was in the process of rising as he finished his shower. He found Harry reading when he reached his room. "You sure are up early. Trouble sleeping?"

            Harry put down his book with a sigh as he looked up at Gohan. "You could say that. Sleeping and me have never really worked well together. First it was visions from Voldemort, and then the nightmares started. After Cedric was killed during the Tournament, most of them involved him or my friends in the situation. The since the ministry, Sirius has been in the picture. I've only slept when I'm really exhausted or something else is completely on my mind. Only good side to it all is I've managed to catch up on a lot of my reading."

            Gohan laughed. "Yes, nightmares do make it hard to sleep don't they? Have the same problem myself. I prefer to meditate when I can't sleep though. Helps with my training. I suppose I'll need to teach you that." Gohan mumbled to himself for a moment before coming back to the present. "Oh yeah, forgot you were there for a moment." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Come on then. Let's head down and take care of breakfast for my mom. She'll appreciate it."

            Having nothing better to do, Harry got up and followed him down to the kitchen. Soon, the smell of cooking food began to spread throughout the house. Harry was surprised at Gohan's method. He used no magic to cook. "Why don't you use magic to cook? You must be allowed to do it out here if you've been home schooled." Gohan shrugged as he moved bacon around in a pan.

            "My family has always preferred doing things by hand. Magic is great, but it takes away from that satisfying feeling that you did something on your own." Harry nodded as he continued to work at chopping up various vegetables for omelets. They had a delicious breakfast ready. Omelets, toast, fruit, juice, and a few other things. Chichi appeared downstairs just after they finished.

            "Mm… Gohan, I know you couldn't manage all this alone. Yes, Harry is here too. Good job both of you. It smells delicious." She sat down at the table; happy she didn't have to cook for once.

            Goten appeared a little while later, still in his pajamas. He was unable to avoid the delicious smelling food. When they all had their seats, they dug into breakfast with a will. Harry was stunned once again at the way the two boys ate before he too joined in. There was only the clatter of forks as they ate. No one was awake enough to speak yet. After they finished Gohan stood up and gave Chichi a hug.

            "Mom, Harry and I will be going to the lookout for the next few days. If you need me, just get in touch with Dende." She smiled at him and nodded.

            "Alright Gohan. Be careful whatever you do." She waved as they walked back up the stairs.

            "Come on Harry, you might want to grab a little reading material. Actually, never mind. I forgot I've got my entire library with me." He laughed for a second. "Alright, hand on my shoulder and we'll be off." Harry raised an eyebrow at him for a second before placing a hand on Gohan's shoulder. Gohan smiled mysteriously as he placed two fingers to his forehead. Harry felt himself shift slightly before he reappeared on a vast platform. He gasped and looked around before turning to Gohan.

            "Wha…how…What did you do?" Harry said amazed.

            "That is another thing we will be working on. Took me about a year to learn it myself, but we'll have plenty of time." He turned toward the large palace that was situated on the platform. "Hey Dende! Come on out man!" They waited for a few seconds before two figures walked out of the main doors. One was wearing a turban. His skin was midnight black and he looked almost round. The other was for lack of any better words…green.

            Harry turned to Gohan, a bewildered look on his face. "But…he's green." Harry said, unable to form any other words at that moment.

            Gohan laughed. "Yeah, him and Piccolo get that a lot." Dende and Mr. Popo reached them and Gohan held out a hand. "Harry, meet Dende, the Kami of Earth, and his assistant Mr. Popo." Dende held out a hand.

            "Gohan, while you may be smart, we have got to work on your way of breaking news. Good thing you are going to school finally. Maybe then you can learn to interact with normal people." Dende said. He turned to Harry, still shaking his hand. "Kami means God in your language Harry. I am the God of Earth." Harry's hand stopped moving and fell limply to his side as he stared at the green person before him.

            Gohan shook his head. "And you say _I _need to work on my people skills. Telling a person that you are God is not a good way to introduce yourself." Harry was still in stunned silence.  Gohan poked him in the shoulder to bring him out of his trance. "Get used to it man, you are about to see things that make Dende here look normal." Dende grumbled something under his breath about annoying saiyans before Gohan turned to him.

            "Dende, have you made those modifications on the chamber yet?" The green man nodded. "Good, Harry and I will be using it for the next month quite often." Dende simply nodded and turned to Popo.

            "Popo, have you set up the food in there?" The rotund genie nodded at his companion. "Good. Alright Gohan, whenever you are ready, go ahead." He and Popo turned to head back inside. Gohan shook Harry a bit before walking towards a large set of doors on the side of the building. He stopped with a hand on the door. Harry stopped behind him, still numb from all of the information. "Harry, this next part may be a bit hard to handle. Some people can't handle the intenseness of this room, so be ready." Harry could only nod.

            _"Hard to handle…how much worse could it get?" _The door opened and he followed. Two steps into the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. _"Yeah, it definitely gets worse." _He couldn't take his eyes from the white expanse that spread before him.

            "Welcome to the Room of Spirit and Time. In this room a year will pass but only a single day will be used in the normal world. This is how I'm going to train you in only a month." Gohan gestured around and described everything. "This is where we sleep, cook, and relax. Do not go out into the white area without me. Normal people have a hard time out there, regardless of their abilities. Until you know a few more things, it's better that you stay here around me."

            "Gohan, this place is amazing. How is there all this space? The whole platform outside doesn't look this big."

            Gohan nodded. "You are right about the Lookout. It's not this big. This is another dimension. We really don't know how it got here, but we've used it to our advantage. In fact, Dende has used his magic to make some modifications on the room. Now we may be here for a year, but we only age for a day. We also have no limit to the amount of time we can be here. Took some powerful magic to do it, but with Dende it was no problem." He walked over to the table and took a seat. "Sit down and ask any questions you have Harry. I'm sure there are a lot."

            Harry walked over and sat in another chair at the table. He looked around the room before turning to Gohan with a look of determination on his face. "No questions. Let's just get started. I need the skills to kill Tom, and I need them before anything else bad can happen."

            Gohan smiled. "Good, you're going to need determination. This is going to be one incredibly long year Harry, but when we are done, I think you'll be pretty surprised at what you can do." He leaned back in his chair and once again began talking. "First of all, you need to understand something. There are two different types of energy that humans, and saiyans, can manipulate."

            "The first type is usable by everyone. It is physical energy, or Ki. Muggles are actually a bit more in tune with this than people with magic. Ki can be manipulated in many ways, but most of them are destructive forces. That is primarily what ki is, destruction. A select few can use it to alter time. Haven't managed that myself. Ki can also be used to increase your physical abilities. Your ki can be pushed into your muscles to push your strength and speed far beyond that of a normal person." He leaned forward and extended his own arm. "And as you can see, an advantage to ki training is that you lack the bulky muscles that many people think are strong. You will see a huge increase in size, but not bulky muscle, it will be more a lean look."

            "But why train me if most magical beings don't possess much ki?"

            "As you said yourself.  _Most_ magical beings don't possess much ki. You, however, possess quite a bit of latent ki. Nowhere near as much as myself or another saiyan, but quite a bit for a human." Gohan waved his hand and a plate of sandwiches appeared between them, along with several jugs of water. "Now, there is also spiritual energy, or as you know it, magic. Magic can be exercised much like a muscle, but it does have a limit. Wizards and witches also gain a boost in magical energy as they get older, just like people get physically stronger as they age." He turned to Harry and looked him straight in the eyes. "You don't have that normal limit Harry. Your magic is greater than any other person in the world. That is why Tom is after both of us Harry. We have the capabilities to work with both magic and ki. You have a near limitless source of magic, while I have a near limitless source of ki."

            Harry sat there staring at Gohan before his mouth fell open. For a second there wasn't any sound between them. Harry shook his head for a second before speaking. "Ok, now the questions are coming, regardless of my eagerness to continue. What's this nearly limitless source of magic I supposedly have? How come I haven't noticed it before now? Wouldn't I be able to feel that power somewhere in me?"

            "You probably have. But unlike me, you didn't have anyone else's power to compare it to and know that it was that much greater. When you have been angry, or determined, have you had an easier time casting spells?" Harry nodded. "That's a big sign. My abilities have always been brought out by anger. Not mindless anger, but true righteous rage. I'm going to help you delve into those powers and fully control them." He stood to his feet and held his hand just above Harry's head. "First you are going to need something to train in." Gohan's eyes closed for a second and Harry began to glow. After a few seconds the glow faded. Harry was now wearing a gi very similar to Gohan's, only all black.

            Harry looked down at himself to see his new clothes. "Thanks Gohan. Well, I suppose we should go ahead and get started. I need time to get all of this sorted out. I can do that while we train. What's first?"

            Gohan smiled. No matter how much his mother had drilled studying into him, he was a fighter at heart. He enjoyed a good spar whenever it was offered. "Right. First of all, I have placed a few charms on your clothes that will allow you to progress faster in terms of muscle development and overall fitness levels. Otherwise it would take to long to train you." Harry nodded in understanding. "I figure that for the first two weeks in here, we will have two things to do each day. In the mornings we will work to build up your strength, and in the afternoons we will start working on martial arts. The evenings will be for meditation and rest. Rest is very important in training. At least once each week we will rest. Whether it is with reading, or amusement, we will rest." Gohan motioned for Harry to follow him as he walked out into the white void. They didn't go far before Gohan stopped. The look in his eyes almost made Harry run.

The rest of the day passed in a blur to Harry. Gohan wasn't mean in his training, but he didn't stop or slow down. When the evening rolled around, Harry had trouble moving. Gohan made their meal and they sat down to eat. They both had ravenous appetites, and no words were spoken the entire meal. Afterwards, Harry fell onto one of the nearby beds, not wanting to move. Gohan motioned for him to get up.

"No sleep yet man. We need to get clean. That's another important part to getting into shape. The cleaner your body is, the more it likes you." He showed Harry to a set of showers and summoned him a set of clothes to sleep in. "Those will help you heal and grow overnight, just like the clothes you wear during training." Harry nodded. He was showered and dressed within ten minutes. He never even made it under the covers of the bed. He was asleep on his way down to the pillow.

The next two weeks were much the same. By the end, Harry was much less sore each day. He was able to still move each evening. The final day of the two weeks, Gohan spoke to Harry again at the dinner table.

"Alright, now that I've got you in shape, we're going to move on to ki training. This is where things get more intense, so I suggest you prepare yourself." Harry groaned at this information. He had finally sorted everything out in his mind after the first week. He retired to bed that night almost dreading the next day. The next day, instead of the normal fitness training, Gohan and Harry sat down cross-legged inside the living area. Gohan smiled, this was his favorite part of training.

"Alright Harry, this is where the fun stuff comes in." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yup, this part won't be nearly as painful as the fitness training. So you might be able to sleep without the pain now. On the bright side of it all Harry, at least you don't have to learn it all the way I did." Harry laughed at this, remembering Gohan's story. He had spent an entire year in the wilderness learning from Piccolo. "Now, lets get on it. First you need to relax. That will help you reach your ki. Now I want you to think for a moment. Do you know that feeling you get when you cast a spell? It feels like you are pulling the energy from your center right?" Harry nodded. "Well ki is almost exactly the same. The only difference is from what center you pull from."

            "Magic is pulled from your spiritual center, or your soul. That's why magic is referred to as spiritual energy. Ki is a bit different. It comes from the core of your actual physical body. Ki doesn't have a true limit for anyone. Most people just have a point where it becomes extremely hard to get any stronger. A lot of my dad's friends are at that point. They are still very powerful though." Gohan shook his head for a moment. "Alright, now I'm just getting off track. Back to the point." He held up a hand and a ball of energy appeared a second later. "This is ki. Ki is the basis of all life. Everyone has at least a small amount, though few can actually manipulate it. Incidentally, ki and magic are both needed to create life. All creatures have at least a small amount of each." Once again, he shook his head. "I have really got to stop getting so sidetracked. I guess I'm not really used to working with people my age that I can talk to. So how about you try? Just close your eyes and feel for your center. Ki has more of a warm feeling, whereas magic has more a cool feeling to it. That should help you make sure you find the right energy."

            Harry nodded. He understood mostly. Closing his eyes he relaxed and began to search himself. After a few minutes he heard Gohan speak as though from a distance. "Don't try to force it out. Just ask it to. Just like when you are doing martial arts. It's what gives you the energy to go on. It's the core of your being. Whenever you need strength, this is what you draw on. Relax and let it pull you to itself." Harry felt himself relax even further at these words. Slowly he felt a pull from somewhere in his center. He followed it until he reached what felt like a fire burning in him. Unlike normal fire, it didn't burn. It was pleasantly warm. He gently pushed part of that fire towards his hands. Slowly he felt the warmth building up there. He opened his eyes and was met with a brilliant ball of glowing energy. Gohan was sitting in a chair nearby with a wide smile on his face.

            "Good job Harry. That wasn't too bad. Only took you half a day to do it." Harry's eyes became saucers.

            "Half a day? But I was only in there for a few minutes!" The energy faded away as Harry released his control and took it back into his body.

            "You were deep in meditation Harry. That type of meditation is great when you don't have to worry about time, but not if you have other things to do. I will teach you both that form and another, more controllable form of meditation." Gohan stood up and walked out into the void, Harry close behind. "Now that you know what and where your ki is, we'll work on a few tricks you can do with it. Watch this." Gohan formed another ball of ki in his hand, this time even brighter and much bigger than the last one. A grin appeared on his face. He threw the ball into the distance. When it impacted, Harry was almost thrown from his feet by the following explosion. It stretched nearly a mile in all directions.

            Harry was suddenly struck with hope. _"I'll be able to do that soon. From what Gohan told me, that was nothing for him. There is no way that Voldemort can win!"_ A happy grin broke out on Harry's face. "Wow Gohan. You told me you were powerful in your stories, but the real thing is so much more amazing."

            Gohan smiled. "I know. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I can do the things I do. You should see what Piccolo and Vegeta can do. Those two have incredible minds. They are better at ki manipulation than anyone. Actually, my father was better than all of them, but he never really showed it. He was never concerned with using fancy skills, he always preferred the physical approach. But anyway, let's get started."

            Harry's day passed in a blur. He practiced many things that afternoon, becoming more proficient with his ki as time passed. That night, Harry ate without the pain of working out all day spread throughout his body. Instead he felt a lack of energy. He asked Gohan about this.

            "Yeah, for a while you'll be that way, regardless of how much energy you use. Your body hasn't adapted to the use of ki yet. It will come in time." Harry nodded as he finished eating. They both headed straight to bed once they were done. Once they were in their beds, Gohan spoke. "Harry, what's it like to have friends your age?"

            Harry gasped for a moment, surprised. "I…I don't know Gohan. My friends are more like family to me. Ron is like a brother, and Hermione is like a sister. Ron's whole family took me in the first time I visited. It's the only time I've felt loved and like I belonged. The people I grew up with didn't exactly treat me the greatest."

            "Yeah, I've heard about your lovely relatives. My mom almost went after them the first time she heard what they did to you." Gohan sighed. "It must be great to have friends your age though…all the friends I have were once friends of my dad. They are all older than me, and don't know what I go through. My dad was actually the one person who understood me. He always acted so childish around everyone, but he was more mature than anyone I know. The childish part was an act that effectively threw off all of his enemies and kept his burdens from becoming too great." For another moment there was silence as they both considered the words that had been spoken. "What about a girl Harry? Is there a girl that you love or want to date?"

            Harry grimaced at thoughts of his last relationship. "Well there was one girl." He quickly explained everything about Cho. "Now that I look back though, I really don't think it was possible to work even from the start. It was more lust than a true attraction from the heart. I really don't think there is anyone out there for me." He hesitated a moment. "But there is one girl…" He trailed off after this.

            "So go on. Who is she?" Gohan was up on one elbow, looking at Harry now.

            "The problem is, I don't even know if she likes me anymore. She's Ron's little sister, Ginny. She had a crush on me before we even met. It lasted almost four years, but then I think she got over me at the Yule Ball in my fourth year. I waited too long. I saw her as Ron's little sister for way too long. She is much more than that. I just didn't realize it soon enough." He sighed. "But then she sent me a letter the morning before the chamber. She knew me better than anyone ever has. But now I'm pretty sure she's going out with another guy. I don't know what to do."

            "Well, I've never had to deal with a girl. Wanted to meet some girls, but never had the chance. But from what I can tell, the only thing you can do is go for it. My mom and dad met when they were 12. My mom waited 6 years to get him. She was in love with him the whole time. My dad didn't even know what marriage was when they had their wedding, but deep inside, he was in love with her. They have been together ever since." Gohan fell onto his back. "Don't let anything stop you Harry. And besides, from what we've talked about, she might have said that about having a boyfriend to mess with Ron's head. But if you don't…I might just go after her myself. She sounds pretty nice." Harry jolted up in the bed and was greeted by Gohan's laughter. "Just kidding there Harry. I couldn't do that to a friend."

            Harry fell back into his bed, mostly relaxed. _"Crud, I really am falling for Ginny. How am I gonna deal with Ron?"_ Another idea followed these thoughts. "Gohan?" The demi-saiyan grunted in acknowledgement. "Would it be possible for another person to join us in training?"

            "Who?"

            "My friend Ron. I think he would be pretty good at this fighting stuff. He's always reacted quicker with his fists than he has with his magic. And besides, I can't always be around to protect my friends. Having one more person who can fight and protect everyone would be great." Gohan was silent for a moment.

            "You have a very good point there Harry. I really don't want to spend two years in here in a row, so I'll have to get someone to train him while we are outside. Piccolo might do it. He'd be able to get his own training in as well." Harry nodded absently.

            "Alright. Well, goodnight Gohan. I'm ready to pass out now." Gohan chuckled.

            "Night Harry." They both drifted off into sleep.

            Ginny sat staring out of the window of her room at the Burrow. Her mind was far away on a certain raven-haired boy. Harry had not left her thoughts in the past two days. When he had left the train station with his relatives, he hadn't looked like the normal Harry. His eyes seemed duller than normal. As though they were hiding great pain. She wanted so bad to be able to hold and comfort him. It had taken only one guy to make her realize that she would always be in love with Harry Potter. Not the boy-who-lived, not the famous Harry Potter, but the boy who saved her life. The boy who had been through so much, but still worried more about others than himself. She fell back onto her bed with a sigh. _"I hope he doesn't really think I'm dating Dean. That could really mess up my chances. I just said that to mess with Ron." _For a second, she stared up at her ceiling. _"Crap! Knowing Harry and his lack of subtlety, he does think I actually meant that."_ She shook her head to clear it of bad thoughts. _"I'll just have to correct that in my next letter to him." _She got up off her bed and wandered down through the house to the living room. Ron was sitting in a chair, reading. "Wow Ron, when you said those brains changed you, you weren't kidding."

            Ron looked up and smiled at his youngest sibling. "Nah, I would have loved to read before. I just couldn't always understand what I was reading. Now I can easily comprehend it all. At this rate, I'll be able to keep up with Hermione."

            "Where is Hermione anyway?"

            "I think she was out in the garden with mum. They were getting some vegetables for dinner." Ginny nodded and left Ron as he read. She found her mum and Hermione in the garden pulling up various vegetables. Hermione seemed a bit winded. She had been that way since the incident at the Ministry. She refused to quit though. Ginny knelt down beside her.

            "Here, let me do it. You go take a break and talk to Ron or something. You need it." Hermione looked as though she was going to protest. "No! You are too stubborn for your own good. Go inside and rest. Pushing yourself beyond what you are able is not going to let you get better." Hermione looked at Ginny for a second before heading into the house.

            "That was nice of you Ginny." Mrs. Weasley said. Looking down at her daughter. "You've grown up so much. I'm glad I have one mature one in the family that doesn't take things too far." Ginny smiled and blushed faintly at the compliments. They quickly gathered the rest of the things needed for that night's dinner.

            Meanwhile, Ron had simply stopped reading as Hermione walked in the room. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she shuffled into the room and fell into a chair. _"Poor 'Mione. That curse left her so weak. God I wish I could cream the guy that did it."_ He got to his feet and kneeled down next to the chair she was in. "'Mione?" She opened her eyes and turned to him. "Can I get you anything?" Hermione smiled sweetly at him.

            "Some water would be great Ron. Thank you." She closed her eyes as he moved away and headed to the kitchen. _"He can be so sweet sometimes. I only wish I could tell him how I feel."_ Ron returned a minute later with a glass full of something.

            He got back down next to the chair and offered it to her. "It's not water. It's a special juice my mom makes. It should help you get your energy back quicker." Hermione smiled and took the offered glass.She drained half the glass and immediately felt better. She smiled at Ron and fell back into the chair. Ron smiled in relief at her obvious gaining of energy. He grabbed his book and moved to the couch. "Feeling better there Mione?" She nodded. "Good." He simply said as he started reading again. They sat in comfortable silence until dinnertime.


	5. Mirrors and Green Men

JLHERC: This chapter was so hard to write, but I don't know why… it's taken me forever. But here it is finally. Enjoy.

Harry and Gohan landed about ten feet from each other before blasting back into a full-scale fight. They met with an explosion of power. For the next few hours, there was little talk. Only the constant explosions of power coming from midair showed anyone that they were there. They finally began to wind down as their stomachs yelled at them. Coming to a stop on the white tiles of the chamber, they both breathed sighs of relief. Gohan looked to the clock that hung above the door.

"Tomorrow we leave for a few days. It will mark a year." Harry nodded. The past year with Gohan had been incredibly stress relieving. He had someone to talk to who had been through as much if not more than he had, and he always slept well from the exhaustion. Not to mention the flying. When Gohan had taught him to fly, Harry was hardly seen walking afterwards. It was like being on his broom, but even better.

They moved to the kitchen table and sat down, both a bit winded from the daylong spar. "Gohan, I want to thank you." Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Not only have you helped me find another way to protect my friends and family, you also helped me get over my grief. It helps to find someone who has been through almost the same ordeals as me. I really appreciate it mate."

Gohan smiled. "No problem at all man. You are the only friend I have that is the same age as me. I'm glad I could help you out. Hopefully, Piccolo will do as good a job with Ron. I kinda feel sorry for your friend though…Piccolo isn't the most easy-going trainer." They both laughed. The year had brought the two into as close a friendship as Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Gohan and Harry had very similar tastes. Gohan's inclination towards intelligence marked the only noticeable difference. That wasn't even enough to call a difference. Harry had spent the year reading through Gohan's extensive library every night. So far he had reread his spell books from all five of the past years, as well as the potions manuals, and quite a few others as well. He was even ready to start animagus training. Harry got to his feet and looked at his new appearance in the mirror. Everything about him was different.

The difference that caught his attention first was the lack of his glasses. Gohan had realized that they would be a problem from day one. A few days into his training, Dende had appeared and used his magic to completely fix his eyes. Harry smiled to himself. He liked not having to wear glasses. He had also grown to a solid six feet tall. He now stood level with Gohan. His shoulders were much wider than when he entered the chamber. His entire body had gained the same muscular look that Gohan's had. His hair had grown shaggy so it now covered his scar. He kept it to a length he enjoyed, though he still couldn't tame the unruly mess to save his life. Harry's time in the chamber had given him a confidence he had never thought possible. This was a brand new Harry. He wondered what the world would think.

He smiled. _"I wonder what Ginny will think of this new development."_ The last few months in the chamber had been especially hard. Ginny had been constantly on his mind. He had even written multiple letters, debating on which one to send to her. Harry finally sat back down at the table and dropped his forehead into his hands.

"Your mind on Ginny again Harry?" Gohan asked. All he got in response was a grunt. This made him start laughing. "Come on man. Let me show you something." He walked around to what would be considered the "back" of the chamber. In the middle was a mirror. "Harry, I didn't want to show you this, because I didn't want it to distract from your training. But, based on what I've learned about you over the past year, I know you will be able to keep your priorities intact." He raised his hand and pointed at the mirror. "I'm sure you've heard of television right?" Harry nodded. "This is very similar to T.V. It allows you to watch the events that take place outside the chamber in the stay here. They only last until the point you are in the chamber in relation to the time outside. Understand?" Harry nodded slowly, comprehending more and more as Gohan spoke. "You can focus it on a person, event, or a general area. The best part about it is that it uses either magic or ki." Gohan turned and walked back towards the living area. "I have to cook us some food. I'm sure you can find a way to keep entertained while I'm cooking."

Harry smiled as his new friend walked away. Wasting no time, he brought forth his magic and concentrated on Ginny. At once, an image of her laying in bed asleep showed up. At first, Harry was confused. _"Oh…must be starting at the beginning of the day." _He stared at the red-haired beauty before him. She was sprawled gracefully across the bed. Then Harry noticed something that made his face turn completely red. Ginny had become very well endowed since he last saw her without the school robes on. _"Mmm… she looks incredible, they are huge…" _Harry was lost in the thoughts of a teenage boy for the moment. Shaking his head, he willed the image forward in the day. _"Come on Harry, don't be shallow…but they are very nice."_ The next thing he saw was when Ginny relieved Hermione of her job. He momentarily followed Hermione, noticing how tired she was._ "Poor Hermione. Yes it was my fault she got injured. I shouldn't have had them in the Ministry in the first place. I can't let that stop me though. My training is as much for her as the rest of my family." _He thought for a moment. _"Hermione is an only child. I am an only child. She is like family to me. I hope she enjoys having a brother."_ He smiled to himself. He almost laughed at Ron's blatant flirting with Hermione. The rest of the day flashed by as Ginny helped Mrs. Weasley. Then Piccolo's arrival gave him a few good laughs. The scene that ended Harry's viewing was focused on Ginny's room where she sat with Hermione. They were talking.

"Hermione, I might have made a mistake." Ginny said, chewing on her lip.

Hermione looked over at the younger girl with a questioning look. "What do you mean Ginny? I haven't seen you do anything wrong lately."

Ginny shook her head. "Remember back on the train when I told Ron that I liked Dean?" Hermione nodded. "Well that was just a lie. I was trying to get Ron mad. But I think Harry might have taken it seriously. I don't want to give up on him Hermione. Especially now with Sirius, I think I'm the only one who can understand him. I know what it's like. What should I do?"

Hermione smiled. "I'll take care of it. I'll "mention" in my letter how well you fooled Ron. Accidentally of course." Ginny's smile threatened to split her face open.

"Thank you so much Hermione. Maybe now I can get Harry to see little Ginny." Ginny said with a frown.

At this statement, Hermione burst out laughing. "Ginny, have you really looked at yourself lately?" Ginny's frown deepened at Hermione's laughter. "Ginny, you are "blessed" with more than most girls in the school. Combined with how petite the rest of your body is, it makes for one killer look. If Harry can't see you, he's blind."

Ginny blushed. "You are one to talk Hermione. Look at yourself." Hermione laughed.

"I know Ginny. But I'm waiting for a certain person. He's just too shy to ask me, and I want him to get over his silly jealousy before he does." She pouted.

"Ron needs encouragement Hermione. He's not all that bright when it comes to girls." Hermione nearly choked.

Her face nearly became the famous Weasley red. "You should take your own advice! Harry is even shyer than Ron." Ginny soon joined her in having a red face.

"Gosh, we're both in love with clueless gits." They sat in silence for a moment, lost in their thoughts. Suddenly, a grin appeared on Ginny's face. "I have a plan Hermione. We can't wait for the boys to act on their feelings. When we next see them, we'll…"

After that point, the picture stopped. Harry's smile threatened to break his face. "YES!" He shouted pumping a hand into the air. "She's not going out with Dean. It was all a joke!" He quickly jumped into the air, flying for a few loops and laughing maniacally. After letting Harry have his fun, Gohan finally chuckled and yelled out.

"I take it I was right all along!" The only response was another bout of maniacal laughter. Gohan chuckled as he set all of the food on the table. "Come on Harry! Eat, laugh later!" Harry finally landed next to the table, still unable to quit grinning. As they ate, they talked.

"You were right. She was saying it to mess with Ron." Gohan laughed. "But the last thing I heard was Ginny and Hermione planning something for me and Ron the next time they see us. I guess Ron already left with Piccolo. Do you think I should be scared though? Those two can be a handful. Hermione's intelligence combined with Ginny's temper. What could they be planning?" He frowned slightly.

Gohan momentarily stopped shoveling food into his mouth. "I doubt it's anything bad. Just wait and see. It will be a nice surprise for when you finally see them again." Harry laughed and quickly agreed as he joined Gohan in eating. They finished and went to bed for a final time in the chamber.

Earlier in the day, outside the chamber, Piccolo stood on the lookout next to Dende. "So Gohan wants me to pick up this boy and train him." Dende nodded. "Damn him, he knows I'll do it just because he asks." Piccolo growled as he snatched the letter from Dende. "Who do I take this to again?"

"Go to Hogwarts and give it to Dumbledore. Kami's memory will show you the way." Piccolo grunted in response before he blasted off the lookout and headed towards the school. After almost half an hour of flight he landed before the large doors of Hogwarts. He reached up and pushed them open with ease. He was greeted with the site of a wide-eyed McGonagall.

Her wand was out instantly, pointing at him. "Who are you? I suggest you answer quickly before I am forced to remove you from the premises."

Piccolo grunted before he spoke. His deep voice startled McGonagall. "I'm here to see Albus Dumbledore. Now let me pass in peace. I do not have time for this." She faltered a moment before standing straighter.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you into these halls. I do not know to whom you hold allegiance. With Voldemort's threats rising each day I can't say who to trust. Please leave." Piccolo grumbled and moved forward. Immediately a stunner flew from her wand. It hit the exact center of his chest. Her happiness at a direct hit faded, as he kept moving. To her surprise, he showed no hostility and simply continued to move. He passed her and started walking down the hallways. She hobbled after him using her cane, still trying to get him to stop. She didn't want to her it. Then, for perhaps the first time since he had walked in, she realized something. "You're green!"

This actually caused him to stop in his tracks. "It took you all that time to realize that my skin is green? Well then look at the pointy ears. That should keep you quiet for a while woman." He turned and continued his pace up the hallway. McGonagall stood stunned for a moment. Regaining her wits, she hobbled off at a fast pace until she caught up with the tall, green-skinned man. He was standing before the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office.

Piccolo started speaking as she approached. "A protector of Earth has arrived. Move aside that I may pass." The gargoyle actually seemed to shudder a little before it moved aside. Piccolo stepped sideways onto the staircase. His tall frame barely fit into the confines of the bricks. At the top he stepped out with McGonagall following close behind. He knocked at the door and was ushered in by the headmaster.

"Ah Piccolo. It has been a very long time since I have seen you. I trust that you have worked out your differences with Goku and the rest?" Piccolo nodded with a slight smirk.

"Yes Albus, I have. In fact, I am here by request of Gohan." Dumbledore's eyes deepened their twinkle. "Gohan and Harry, I think that was his name, have requested that Ronald Weasley join in their training. Everything is explained in this letter." He held out a thick envelope. Dumbledore opened it and extracted two letters. One was from Harry, and the other was from Gohan. After scanning the letters, he nodded. Taking out quill and parchment, he began on a letter. After a few minutes the scratching of the quill stopped. Dumbledore folded the letter and placed it in an envelope addressed to Molly Weasley.

"Give this to Molly Weasley. She is the mother of Ron. I'm sure you will figure out which one is her." He then picked up another piece of paper and touched his wand to it as he murmured. "Portus." A faint glow appeared on the sheet and then vanished. He held it out to Piccolo. "This will take you about half a mile from the Burrow." Piccolo raised an eyebrow in question. "That is where Ron lives. And do be a little less dramatic please. We are in dangerous times in the magical world and everyone is on edge." Piccolo nodded before he took the offered paper. A second later, he vanished.

McGonagall was opening and closing her mouth in silence. "Who, or what, was that Albus?"

"That was an old acquaintance of mine Minerva. I'm sure you remember those crises that have happened several times in the past fifteen years. The ones that involved the martial arts world." Minerva nodded. "He was one who participated in the defense of our world. Those threats were more than just threats to the muggle world. They were threats on the Earth itself. Unfortunately, there was no way that any of us from the magical world could participate in helping. The type of fighting they do is far different from our magic."

Minerva finally recovered. "What does Harry have to do with all of this Albus? I am assuming you finally removed him from those damn muggles."

Albus laughed slightly at her colorful choice of words. "Yes Minerva. He is far from the threats of the Dursleys. I sent him to a teacher. I'm sure you remember Chichi and Goku?" Minerva's eyes widened a bit as she nodded. "There was a third child born on that fateful day. Harry and Neville weren't the only two." Dumbledore quickly explained the rest of the story to the stunned woman before him.

Minerva sat down heavily in the chair that sat before Dumbledore's desk. "How could we let this happen to two children?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, Gohan we couldn't have helped much. But what about Harry? How could we leave him with those terrible people? No love, no friends, no hope. We are incredibly fortunate that he doesn't join Voldemort. How many children, how many adults could survive that kind of treatment and come out the way he has?"

Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle, and his youthful appearance seemed to fade. "Minerva, there isn't a moment that I regret leaving him with those muggles. I really thought it was the right thing at the time. I did not realize they would treat him the way they did. I have already apologized to Harry and been given his forgiveness. Though I do not truly think I deserve it. Harry is truly a great man. I don't think there are many who would be able to cope like him."

McGonagall nodded, wiping a few tears from her eyes. Despite the harsh front she put on in front of the students, she cared for some of them deeply. Harry was a special case. She had been there when he was left with the Dursleys. She had been against it then and was still against it. Over his years at Hogwarts, Harry had become like a son to her. She'd never admit it, but it was the way she felt. Sighing she rose from her chair. After composing herself, she spoke. "Albus, Harry's broom was destroyed by that awful Umbridge. I feel it is our duty to replace that for him. We, after all, couldn't protect him from that creature. The least we can do is replace it with a better one."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I'm sure most, if not all, of the teachers would be willing to pitch in and buy Harry a replacement." McGonagall smiled slightly and walked out with the aid of her cane.

Piccolo arrived in a small grove of trees. For a moment he was disoriented. Taking a moment to pull himself together, he looked around the area. Looming above the treetops was a house that looked like it shouldn't be standing. "Humph. That is probably the place." He stalked off through the trees toward the house, his cape billowing behind him.

Molly Weasley was preparing dinner when a loud knock came from the front door. "Ginny dear, could you answer that?"

Ginny put down the book she was reading and stood up. "Sure mum." She walked through the house to the front door. Opening it up, she was met with a purple shirt. Her eyes traveled slowly upwards. He was taller than her brothers. When she saw his face, she took in a deep breath in preparation for a scream. He noticed and flinched, his normally impassive face scrunching up.

"Please, no screaming. It really hurts the ears." He said pointing to his rather large ears.

Ginny stopped herself from letting out the powerful scream. Sensing no hostility from the green man before her, she composed herself for the most and walked toward the kitchen, her face pale. "Mom?" She croaked out. Molly jerked around at the sound of her daughter's voice. "I'm pretty sure the door is for you." She wasted no time in drawing her wand and dashing towards the front door. The tall green man that greeted her stopped her in her tracks for a moment.

"Before you ask who I am and start throwing spells at me, read this. It will save us both a lot of trouble. I'd prefer to not be hit with any more of those stunners. They leave marks on my clothes." He held out his hand and gave her two letters. The first was written in the loopy script of Dumbledore.

_Molly,_

_ If you are reading this, then you have finally stopped attacking Piccolo or he managed to give it to you before you could start. He is very trustworthy. He is an acquaintance of mine. I am asking you to allow Ron to leave with him for the rest of the month. I assure you, Ron will be safe where he is going. Ultimately the decision is yours and Ron's, but please consider it. Harry will perhaps explain things better in his letter._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Albus Dumbledore_

Molly looked up at the green man, studying his impassive face for a moment before picking up the other letter. It was obviously from Harry.

_Mrs. Weasley,_

_ I know it is asking a lot to allow Ron to just up and leave for most of the month, but believe me when I say it is crucial that he joins me here. I only ask you to trust me that he will be fine. You are the mother that I never had Mrs. Weasley, or should I say mum? Thank you for being there. You don't know much it means to me. I would love to write more, but I have to get this letter finished and sent. Please let Ron come._

_ Love,_

_ Harry_

Molly Weasley could not contain the tears that fell down her face. A smile formed behind the tears. "Do you know anything about all of this?" She said as she looked at Piccolo.

Piccolo nodded. "A bit. A former pupil of mine is training Harry at the moment. I will be training Ronald to get him caught up with Harry. After that, Gohan, my pupil, will take over their training totally. I can assure you. They are safer in their training than they would be anywhere else." Molly seemed to grow hesitant for a moment before nodding her head. "I'll get him packed."

She walked off into the house, leaving Piccolo standing at the doorway. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. It was the polite thing to do after all.

Molly walked into the sitting room to find Ron and Hermione both reading. She cleared her throat to get their attention. "Ron, you need to go upstairs and pack. You are leaving for the rest of the month." Ron's mouth fell open in shock along with Hermione's.

"What? But mum, why do I have to leave? What's going on!?" Ron was on his feet now, close to being angry.

"You are going to join Harry. He'll explain everything else when you get there. I don't really know much myself." Ron's rant stopped before it began. He looked thoroughly confused before walking upstairs to get his trunk. Hermione looked at Molly with a pleading look on her face. Molly shook her head. "Harry thinks it is for the best, as does professor Dumbledore. I trust both of them." Hermione bit her lip.

"Yes…I guess you are right. Harry definitely wouldn't let anything bad happen to one of us." She looked up at Molly after a few seconds. "I just wanna see my friends. First no Harry for most of summer and now Ron too." Her face fell.

"Don't worry Hermione. He'll be back before you know it. Maybe by then he'll realize how he feels." Molly said with a smile.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" Hermione stuttered as her face turned red.

Molly only smiled and turned as Ron came down the stairs carrying his trunk. "I guess I'm all ready mum." Ron looked a bit nervous as he followed his mother towards the front door. When he hit the hallway, he stopped and his mouth dropped again. "Mum…what's that?"

Molly wasn't totally comfortable with the green man. "He's the person who is taking you for the month. He'll explain things to you." Ron could only nod as he walked forward and joined the man. Piccolo placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and then held up the paper in his hand, muttered under his breath. They both vanished a moment later. Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table, still not sure what or who she had seen.

Molly walked back into the kitchen to finish dinner. "Mum, where did Ron go?"

"He's gonna be staying with Harry for most of the month. They'll both be coming here right before Harry's birthday." Ginny nodded and then moved to continue helping her mother get ready for dinner.

Ron and Piccolo arrived at the Lookout moments later. "Where are we?" Ron asked as he looked around the white marble of the palace.

"This is Kami's Lookout. This is where the Kami of Earth watches over the planet." Piccolo went silent after his cryptic answer, leaving Ron still confused.

"Right. So who are you?"

"Name's Piccolo. I'll be training you until you reach the level that your friend Harry is at. The training will be hard, and you will probably hate me during it, but you'll live and be all the more powerful for it. If you don't think you can handle it, you might want to turn back now and tell Harry that you don't want to." Ron gulped. He'd wait and talk to Harry before he made any decisions. Piccolo motioned for Ron to sit down. "Have a seat, it will be about an hour before Gohan and Harry get here." Piccolo then sat down and descended into meditation, floating a foot off of the ground.  
Ron dropped heavily onto his trunk, his mind not comprehending everything very well. Seeing the green man before him lift into the air was almost enough to send him into unconsciousness. In hopes of doing something normal, he got back out the book he was reading before Piccolo had arrived. It was titled, "_Important People of the Last 100 Years_." He had just finished the chapter about Dumbledore and his fight with Grindlewald.

Turning the page to the next chapter, he stopped and his mouth fell open. There was a wizard picture, but it wasn't wizards in the picture. On the far left of the picture was a tall, black haired man, standing confidently with his arm around a shorter, black haired woman. They were both smiling. The most noticeable thing about the man was the aura that seemed to emanate from his gaze. Even in a picture, it was calming. It left you feeling safe and happy. The woman's gaze was fierce, as though you didn't want to mess with her, but at the same time it held a compassion that rivaled Molly Weasley. In front of the two stood a boy who looked about eleven years old. He had the same spiky black hair as he man standing behind him. He stood proudly before his parents the two. They were obviously his parents. His eyes showed not only intelligence, but also wisdom and pain that a child should not have to experience. Next to them stood a blue-haired woman, holding a purple haired baby. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, but her eyes also held a hard look that spoke volumes about her attitude. She was leaning close to a short, man with flame shaped, black hair. His arms were crossed and the arrogant smirk on his face was enough to send most people running away. His eyes were a huge mixture of information. Beside these three stood a tall bald man with three eyes. He seemed like a hard person, impressive, but not totally special. A small white creature stood in front of him. Ron didn't spend long staring at him, as he was fairly unimpressive. To the right of the first man stood a short bald man. His eyes were alive and he was smiling widely. He was standing next to another black haired man. This one had a large scar running down his face. He had the same look as the three-eyed man. A small cat was on his shoulder. Standing behind them all was a tall green-skinned man wearing a white turban. Piccolo. His eyes were just as piercing as they were at the present time. Ron's eyes scanned down the page until he found a passage that described the picture.

These are the Z Fighters. They step in to defend Earth when magic can no longer be used to defend us. The have saved the planet countless times. From left to right they are, Yamcha Bandit, Krillin Monk, Son Goku, Son Gohan, Son Chichi, Bulma Briefs holding Trunks Briefs, Vegeta Briefs, Tien, Choutzu, and Piccolo in the back. Goku is the leader of the forces; his power is by far the greatest. Following him are Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha in order of power. Choutzu has opted away from a fighting role in the later years. Chichi and Bulma have never done any fighting. Chichi has always been the one to nurse wounds and take care of Goku and Gohan. She is also a witch. Her power is a rival to that of Albus Dumbledore. Bulma has taken care of any and all technological needs that arise in the group. She is, after all, the most brilliant woman in the known world. She is a muggle. Gohan is an enigma in the group. He was added to the fighting ranks at the tender age of 5 and has become more powerful than most of the group. His most recent endeavor resulted in the defeat of Cell. Cell, as you may remember, was supposedly defeated by that pompous oaf Hercule Satan. That story was circulated to defer attention from Gohan. During the battle, Goku lost his life. After defending the Earth so many times, he lost his life in this final battle. We will never be able to repay him.

At this point Ron was sure that he would have to get his jaw repaired. It couldn't seem to stay closed. He glanced back at the picture and noticed something else. Every single person in the group seemed to be radiating something. Just something. He couldn't put his mind on it. Looking up, he took a good look at the green man floating before him. For a second he was still lost. Then it hit him heavily. Power, and lots of it. They all contained massive amounts of power. To top it off, they all seemed to be in perfect physical condition. Suddenly Ron felt really small.

"_And all this time I thought Voldemort and Dumbledore to be the most powerful on each side. Turns out that there are things that neither of them can do."_ Ron turned back to the book and began reading the interesting history of the fighters in the picture. He was so absorbed in the amazing feats that he didn't notice Piccolo stand up, or the two shadows that appeared above him.

"Wow, it's true. He's actually reading. I never thought I would see the day that Ron Weasley sat down and read on his own accord." Ron's head shot up as a familiar voice invaded his solitude. The sight that greeted him was far different from what he expected. Gone was the small, scrawny, glasses wearing Harry that had left the train station. The Harry that stood before him made his jaw drop.

"Bloody hell! What happened to you mate? What have you been eating?" Ron couldn't believe this was the same Harry that he had seen a couple days before. "It's only been like three days. Bloody hell…" He trailed off as his words failed him.

"Good to see you too Ron. Just go with Piccolo and he'll explain things to you. Trust me. Whatever you have to go through is worth it." He motioned to where Gohan was standing. "This is a new friend of mine. His name is Son Gohan. Gohan, this is Ron."

Gohan held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Ron. Harry's told me a lot about you." Ron numbly stuck out his hand. "Join Piccolo in the chamber and he'll train you physically. That way I won't have to get you caught up with Harry. Harry and I have to get on now. We'll see you later." Gohan laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and then disappeared after placing two fingers on his forehead.

Ron recovered quickly and followed Piccolo into the chamber. He wasn't aware of the shock he was about to receive.

Harry and Gohan arrived back outside Gohan's house only to be met by a small red and black blur. "Gohan! I missed you!" Came Goten's voice as he tackled his older brother to the ground. Gohan laughed as he got back to his feet with Goten attached to his arm.

"Hey Goten. I've only been away for a day. It couldn't have been that bad." Harry could only chuckle at the antics of the two brothers. They all walked into the house and were greeted by the delicious aroma of a freshly cooked meal. "Hey mom." Gohan said as he hugged his mother with his free arm. "Dinner smells wonderful." He placed Goten in his high chair and then sat down. Harry followed close behind.

"Yes Chichi, I agree. This smells wonderful. Even Mrs. Weasley couldn't top this." Harry said with a smile.

"Thank you boys." She turned and took a good look at Harry. "I figured a day in the room would do you good. Gohan must have tweaked some of your clothes for it to do that much good." Harry nodded. "Alright, time to eat." She said as she loaded the table down with food. Goten and Gohan wasted no time jumping into the food, Harry wasn't far behind. His own appetite had grown considerably since he started training. Gohan finished first and then remembered Ron.

"Hey mom, do you mind us having another guest for the month?" Chichi looked up at her son. "Harry's friend Ron is going to be training with us. It will give us one more person to keep people safe." She nodded.

"That's a very good idea. I agree whole-heartedly. Now have you been keeping up with your studies Gohan?" Her look quickly turned dangerous.

Gohan gulped. "Yes mom. I have. I have even been working a bit with Harry. He will have no trouble catching up with me during our next day in the chamber." Chichi continued to stare at him for a moment before slightly nodding her head.

"You two go on to bed. I'll finish cleaning up all of this. I'm sure you are tired from your last day of training. Goodnight." She turned and began cleaning up the plates. Gohan grabbed Goten up and then went up the stairs with Harry following. Harry left Gohan at Goten's room and went on to his own bed. Hedwig hooted at him from her perch as he walked in.

"Hey girl, how are you?" She nuzzled his forehead with her own in answer. "At least I know I'm missed." He said with a smile. He raised his arms and slowly turned around on the spot. "Well, what do you think of the new me? I think it's a big improvement." Hedwig hooted and fluttered her wings. Her eyes squinted as though she was trying to smile. Harry laughed. "I'm glad I have your approval." Reaching into his gi, he pulled out a letter. "Are you up for delivering a letter girl?" Her look made him laugh. "Sorry, I should have known that you are always ready. Take this to Ginny. Go ahead and stay for a response as well." Hedwig hooted once more and was off through the window. As she flew away, Harry could almost swear he heard a voice in his head.

"This is one of those times I wish I wasn't an owl." He jerked for a moment before looking around. The voice reminded him of Hedwig. He shook his head in confusion before stripping down to his boxers and crawling into bed. His last thoughts as he drifted off involved a beautiful redhead smiling at him.


	6. A New Power Introduced

JLHERC: I've had so many of you people ask me to update. I hated to make you all wait, but it's hard to write with all of the school work. My college schedule is so wacked out it isn't even funny. Luckily, being hospitalized for my appendix being removed gave me some time to write, so.. here ya go J.

Far away from the workings of the British Ministry of Magic, exists the American magical government. Within the country exists its own set of wizards and witches. In particular there was one witch. She was currently sitting in the home of her muggle boyfriend watching a movie as they held each other close in his house. The boyfriend had yet to be told of her witch heritage. The rest of the boyfriend's family was dispersed throughout the rest of the house. All seemed peaceful. That was about to end.

Without warning, the nearby front door exploded inward. Jumping to his feet, the young man pushed his girlfriend behind the couch, effectively hiding her there. "Stay here." He whispered fiercely. He jerked up in time to see people wearing black robes rush in the door. They all pointed pieces of wood at him. Pushing his glasses firmly into place, he stood tall and squared his large shoulders, causing a few of the robed men to look a little hesitant. "Can I help you?"

One of the robed men stepped forward, his mask keeping his face hidden. "You will be coming with us boy. Our master has plans for you."

"You just messed up my parent's house. I don't think I'll be going anywhere." Without warning he rushed forward and sent the robed man sailing through the air with a single blow to the face. He didn't get back up. His bright green eyes turned on the rest, his normally volatile temper beginning to boil. "Who's next?" He ground out in a threatening voice. There was a moment of hesitation before beams of multicolored energy began shooting out of the wooden sticks. Many of them missed, but the few that hit the young man seemed to have little, any effect. He dashed forward and took two more out with vicious blows from his fists, but the combined weight of five others had him bound and subdued momentarily. A few moments later, they had him outside with the rest of his family around him, bound the same. He knew something bad was going to happen. Looking to his father he guessed the same had been figured out on his end. "This is bad." He mumbled to him. His father could only nod in agreement.

A hush suddenly came over the surrounding robed men as another tall figure walked forward. They all spread before him. "Ahh... you are just the young man I wanted to meet." The voice that came from beneath the hood was almost snake-like. The young man's instincts told him everything was wrong with the thing that stood before him. When the hood fell back, he knew he was right. The face that was revealed was far from human. The red eyes and slits for a nose were a dead giveaway. The rest of his family gasped as the young man glared even harder. "They told me you were defiant, but this is more than I could hope for. Three of my death eaters down and you don't even have a weapon. I must say I am disappointed with my followers. Though they did say their spells seemed to have little or no effect on you." He walked around in front of the gathered family and sneered down on them.

"I am Lord Voldemort and I have come to you with a proposal boy. Join me. You could be great under my leadership. Just short of a partnership. You would be my second in command."

For a second there was silence. Then a gale of laughter flowed from the young man. "You…have…to be…kidding me!" He exclaimed between gasps for breath. Composing himself, he raised his eyes to look into the snake-like man's own set. "You come here, break into my home, attack me, tie up my family, and then expect me to join you. You are joking right?"

Voldemort's pleasant façade disappeared in an instant. "This is hardly a joke. You see, if you don't join me, then some rather bad things will happen to your family." He seemed to look beyond the young man. Seconds later, from behind them all a whispered word could be heard.

"_Crucio__!"_ A second later, the beginning of the nightmare began. The youngest sister began screaming. Not out of fear, but out of pure, unadulterated pain. All mirth vanished from the guy's face as his blood ran cold. Jerking around, he saw his sister writhing in pain.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" He frantically searched for the one doing it. He found one person with a piece of wood pointed at her. Within seconds he had climbed to his feet and smashed his own forehead into the person's face hard enough to embed the now shattered mask into their face. Screams from his sister died away to be replaced with the screams of the person he just mutilated. Growling, he turned back towards the stunned Voldemort. "What kind of sick shit is this? If you wanna torture someone torture me, leave my family out of this!"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed in anger. "Fine, if you want it that way, then that is the way it shall be." He raised his own stick and pointed it at him. "_Crucio__!"_

The beam of light slammed into the young man, causing him to stagger for a second before rising back to his full height. The only sign of any pain he might be in was the tightening around his eyes. "Is that all bitch? It's gonna take more than your pathetic efforts." Growling, Voldemort redoubled his efforts while motioning for several others to join in. A few beads of sweat now gathered on the man's forehead. His smirk was still on his face. "Come on now, a little harder." He said calmly. More and more joined in until the entire circle participated in trying to cause the young man pain. He was now dropped to one knee, still refusing to show any sign of pain. His family could only look on in mute horror.

Near the back of the ranks, two figures looked on in horror and disbelief. The young man's girlfriend was silently crying as she stood in the destroyed doorway. No one was supposed to be able to withstand the unforgivable pain curse for that long, let alone nearly twenty. She knew what was happening. England's troubles had spread over to America. Knowing the American government, help would arrive very soon. It had only been about ten minutes.

Severus Snape was hardly able to speak in amazement. The young man was withstanding the pain of nearly twenty pain curses on full blast. And one of those curses was coming from Voldemort himself. Pulling out a small amulet, he wrapped a hastily written note to it and activated the portkey function of the amulet. It disappeared, soon to bring help to his exact location.

Voldemort finally stopped his spell, after almost a minute and a half. The death eaters stopped seconds afterwards. "You certainly seem to have a tolerance for pain boy. I've seen many people crumpled under that spell, but it seems as though I can not bring you to my service through this. There are other ways though." His next words brought the young man's world crashing down. "Kill the family." Five green beams shot out and hit each of the figures huddled on the ground. They fell limply to the ground, lifeless. The young man could only stare in horror for a moment. Then something unique happened. The air began to stir around him as his anger grew. You could almost see the fire blazing behind his eyes. Already massive arms bulged even more as they grew stronger. Like they were paper, he ripped through the thick ropes holding him. His body was shaking with fury as he turned towards Voldemort. The fire in his eyes only magnified by the glasses he was wearing.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" With a cry of rage he rushed towards Voldemort. Voldemort managed to hold his cool. And with his wand raised, he uttered two words. "Avada Kedara." The green beam stopped the young man in his tracks.

Several things happened at once. As Voldemort uttered those words, a group of people appeared near the house. One of them was Albus Dumbledore. The rest were members of the Order. On the other side of the ring of death eaters, a group of people appeared in black clothing. From the destroyed door a single female voice screamed in terror. "John! NO!"

For a moment nothing happened, and then the whole area lit up. Hovering above the young man's still body, his soul was wrapped in chains of green light. A purple haired witch near Dumbledore spoke quietly. "Albus, this isn't supposed to happen is it?"

"No my dear, it is not." He whispered back.

The soul seemed to scream before glowing brightly. The chains seemed to detach from wherever they originated and now hung loosely from the soul. Still glowing, it dove back into the body. "I REFUSE TO DIE! UNTIL I SEE YOU DEAD VOLDEMORT, DEATH CAN SHOVE IT UP HIS ASS!" Another scream of rage ripped out of the young man's throat. This time a glow of white energy surrounded him. He dashed towards the nearest death eater. With a single thrust of his arm, he decapitated the man. Silence fell over the yard. Not stopping he snapped the ribs of the one on his opposite side with a crushing blow to the chest. The robed figure flew back some twenty feet before not moving on the ground. The other's managed to gather some of their wits and began screaming in terror as they tried to leave. They found themselves unable to apparate away.

John turned toward them, a look of rage on his face. "I think not. You will not be leaving here alive." He leaped at the next bunch and continued to rip them apart.

Voldemort screamed in rage. "I will kill you later!" He yanked an amulet out from under his robes. With a few muttered words, he and a few lucky death eaters nearby disappeared with a small flash. John roared even louder, his rage renewed. The remaining few death eaters found themselves in trouble. Within moments they all lay dead, broken, or unconscious. John dropped to his knees near the bodies of his family, his rage spent. Tears began to flow freely as he clutched at their lifeless corpses. The people who had showed up began to slowly walk forward. Before they could move very far, a single figure flew past them all.

Her small figure came to a stop before gathering the sobbing young man into her arms. He quickly turned and buried his head in her shoulder, knocking his glasses askew. "They're gone. All of them are gone. My whole family is dead. I couldn't stop it. Alicia what do I do?" He continued to sob. They wracked his large frame. Her own tears mingled with his. The sobs hit everyone there.

Albus quickly walked over to the American forces that had appeared. "Who is in charge here?"

A rather large man stepped forward. He had the grizzled look of a veteran. "I am. Captain Smith at your service." He gestured to the scene behind the aged wizard. "Care to explain what happened?" Albus shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. Though I do know what we just saw the second person in the world to survive the killing curse." He frowned. "I do feel sorry for the death eaters. The ones that are alive still that is." The captain nodded.

"I have to say, I've never seen anything like it. That boy just tore apart experienced wizards like they were nothing. And who might you be by the way?" The Smith said back to Albus.

He smiled as he answered the man. "You might have heard of me. I am Albus Dumbledore."

Smith's eyes widened in shock. "The stories I've heard about you were right. I didn't think you would come all the way over here to fight evil though."

"Normally, no. But this evil originates in my home. It is my duty to fight it. The thing you just saw was Voldemort. The most powerful and evil dark lord to ever rise."

Smith nodded. There was no sign of fear at the mention of the name. "Well he just fucked up. Now the entire American Government is going to be on his ass." Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"How many people do you have ready to fight them?"

Smith's smile seemed almost feral. "America has almost seven thousand fully combat trained witches and wizards on active duty at the moment. We can call up another seven thousand if needed. We also have special forces on call."

Dumbledore was left speechless. "With those kind of numbers on call, we could stop Voldemort so much easier." He turned to the still sobbing figure on the ground. "I believe I should sort things out with this poor young man."

Walking forward, he knelt behind the still sobbing young man. He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The eyes that met his own were so full of pain that he almost joined in the crying then and there. "John? I believe that is what I heard. I know it has been a horrible night, but I must offer my thanks to you. The men you stopped tonight are some of the most evil in the world. Even reducing their ranks by fifteen is a great service to the world. I don't know how I could thank you." Albus turned to the ground.

"Teach me." Came the whispered reply to his words.

"What do you mean?"

"When they killed my family and tried to kill me, something unlocked within me. Now I'm the same as Alicia here." He smiled at her amazed expression. "Wizards I believe. A witch in her case. There is this vast amount of power within me now. Teach me to use it so I can kill that bastard. If you don't teach me, then I'll still go after him. Until this body can no longer take a breath, I won't stop going after him."

Albus stared at the young man before him. The fire that burned in those eyes was enough to rival the fire that burned in Harry's. There was more to this man than met the eye. "Very well. I will train you myself." John seemed to relax after that.

"Thank you." He seemed to go limp. "Whatever they hit me with, hurt like a bitch. I'm gonna sleep a bit now." He closed his eyes and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

"What was he hit with?" Albus asked the girl holding him.

"The crucio curse. Twenty simultaneously, including one from Voldemort." Tears reappeared in her eyes. "He didn't scream through any of it. He barely dropped to one knee. He bore all that pain like it was nothing."

This time, Albus fell back on to his bottom, unable to stand. McGonagall saw this and came over. "Albus, what's wrong?"

"Minerva, go now and bring Poppy here immediately. Have her bring a full bag of medical supplies. Tell Severus to bring his strongest post cruciatus potion. Tell them both to hurry. This poor young man has been through enough." Minerva activated a portkey and left immediately.

Standing to his feet, he gently moved Alicia away from John before levitating him into the house. "Where is his bedroom located?" She motioned for him to follow before moving through the house and opening a door. The room was decently sized and well lived in. The bed was still unmade from the previous night's sleep. Dumbledore quickly lowered John into the bed. Alicia wasted no time in making him comfortable. She removed his glasses and then sat on the bed next to his still figure.

"Will he be alright?" Alicia said as she ran a cool hand over his forehead.

"He should be. If he can take the pain of that many cruciatus curses and still come out sane, he will be fine." Albus smiled down at the girl.

For a moment there was silence. "I want to go with him." Alicia said quietly without looking up at the aged wizard. "I don't think it would be a good idea to leave him in a strange environment that close to Voldemort. He might do something rash. His temper is legendary, even in his own family. They are all easily angered. He is the only one of them who can keep from going overboard at the slightest push. When he does though, he has been known to do things out of his control. You saw what it caused tonight." Her words sounded true to Albus. "Despite what I saw him do tonight, I think nothing bad of him. He had his family ripped away from him and he will never see them again. I can't ask him to go to a new place without me there to hold him. My parents will have to understand. Whether they do or not, I will definitely be going."

The old wizard slowly closed his eyes. This had to be the first pair of beings more stubborn than Harry Potter. At least with Harry, he had a chance to present his argument. These two threw all arguments out the door before they could be voiced. With a heavy sigh he resigned himself to what was going to happen.

Harry sat upright in bed with a jerk. The scene he had witnessed had been one of the most unique Voldemort dreams ever. Apparently, he was no longer the only one to withstand the killing curse. Rising, he quickly pulled on a pair of shorts over his boxers and went down the hallway silently. His feet made no sound as he moved to Gohan's door. The door opened for him and he moved swiftly into the room.

"Did you have that same dream?" Harry said to his dark haired friend.

"Yup. Looks like there's another powerful wizard on the side of the light. Might even be more powerful than Ron. I can't tell yet though." Harry nodded at Gohan's words.

"I have to give the guy credit. He can definitely take some pain. I've barely been able to withstand a single cruciatus curse." Harry said, shivering a bit in remembrance of the moment.

"You would be surprised at the feats you can accomplish when your family is in danger. My dad always did fight better when people he loved were in danger."

"Did you see that right hook that took the death eater's head off? That was awesome." Harry said with a grin.

"He did have some nice moves. Maybe he can train with us when we finally meet. He'd be a valuable asset in the fight with Voldemort. He'll probably need a friend too." Gohan said thoughtfully. "Come on; let's start the morning off with a quick spar to get the blood moving."

After donning their training gis, the two moved silently into the early morning light. They performed a few light stretches before taking off for a supersonic run over a few hundred miles. Along the way, Harry began to think about the year he spent in the time chamber.

His first day of training in martial arts had been great.

Flashback

"Alright Harry, relax. There is no need to tense up. It will only impede your movement." Harry let out a deep breath and relaxed as he followed Gohan's instructions. "As you swing forward, swing your torso as well. This puts the maximum amount of force behind your punch. You won't always be using this method however. Only put the full force of your blow behind a punch when you know you will hit. Other times, a quick jab is more useful. That makes it easier to confuse your opponent and possibly get more hits in." Harry nodded and corrected his swing. They were almost through the first week of his martial arts training. Harry was progressing very rapidly. His naturally fast reflexes were a big help. In combination with his special outfit, Harry was sailing through the training.

Harry watched again as Gohan flawlessly executed a move in demonstration. "Gohan, how long have you been in martial arts? You do everything as though you were born into it."

"In reality… I kinda was. My saiyan heritage makes everything I do extremely easy and then my father and his friends taught me from the age of 5 how to fight. I've been at this quite a while." Gohan said with a small smile on his face as he thought of his past and his father.

"I wish my father and his friends had been around to teach me anything at all." Harry said as sadness washed over him.

Gohan placed a friendly smile on his shoulder. "Don't let it get you down there Harry. Life is far too short to worry about the things that could have happened or should have happened. Just live and enjoy what you have. From what you've told me you have a beautiful girl who is enamored with you and bunches of people who love and care for you. You aren't missing out on much."

Harry's head snapped up. "You don't know that Ginny even likes me, so quit getting my hopes up!"

"Gee, I never said the name Ginny." Gohan said as he chuckled and walked away.

Harry was left with his mouth hanging open in surprise.

Harry smiled to himself as he remembered Gohan's words that day. They had really hit home in his mind. They were now having a light spar before Chichi would call them to breakfast. They went at it for a while before Chichi's voice called them into breakfast. As they were walking, a thought came to Harry.

"I wonder how Ron is doing with that Piccolo guy." Harry said as they neared the house. Gohan's dark chuckle sent shivers down his spine. "What's that supposed to mean?" Gohan kept laughing. "Gohan?" Gohan took off into the house with a questioning Harry behind him.

JLHERC: John is based off a friend of mine in case you were wondering. He'll be a key character in the whole plot too. So don't forget him.


	7. Tests

JLHERC: Wow… school has really had me on edge. This is the first chance I got to write anything. Hopefully I can keep it up and get more chapters out. I apologize profusely to all of you who might have been waiting for an update.

Ron stared across the chessboard into the eyes of Piccolo. They had been at this one game for nearly an hour. With only a few days left, Piccolo had started to focus more on the strategic part of Ron's mind. Piccolo's own brand of strategic fighting was something he prided himself in. Now that he had come across someone who thought the same way, he was finding it enjoyable. Ron's hand moved slowly as he watched for a reaction on the green man's face. Seeing none, he moved a single piece and relaxed back into his chair. As he released the breath he had been holding and looked at Piccolo, his eyes widened. A smirk was now plastered on his face.

One hand moved forward slowly, grabbing one of his pieces, Piccolo placed it forward on the board. "Checkmate." He growled out in his deep voice.

"What!" Ron said as he jumped to his feet and leaned over the board to investigate. Seconds later he fell back into his chair with a loud groan. "Aww man… I never should have let you read that book. Now you win every other time almost." Sighing, he directed a grin at the Namekian before him, switching to the Namekian language. "Though I enjoy having a worthy opponent."

"Good, you've been studying." Piccolo rose to his feet and turned toward the expanse that spread out from the living area. "Come on, one last spar before we leave." Ron nodded and stood to his feet. His changes hadn't been quite as drastic as Harry's, but were startling nonetheless. He now stood somewhere in the vicinity of six foot, four inches. He was close to being on par with Piccolo. His shoulders had broadened to something similar to Charlie's size. He was now built in a similar way to Gohan and Harry. His hair had lengthened enough to resemble Bill's and he had it tied back with a bit of rope he found. Coming to rest a few feet from Piccolo, he lowered himself into a proper fighting stance. Moments later they blasted off towards each other. The fight was furiously fast. Though neither of them seemed to be giving an inch, Ron knew Piccolo was holding back a lot. Even the clothing that he had been given wouldn't help him to reach Piccolo's level in a single year. But he was a match for Piccolo intellectually. And that was one thing that allowed him to best Piccolo to some extent. Ron slowly maneuvered it so that Piccolo was a good distance from him. Ron quickly brought up as much energy as he could and focused it into a single blast. Knowing Piccolo would dodge the blast, he threw it to the ground between them and created a large explosion that obscured Piccolo's vision. With only seconds to work with, Ron created illusions of himself that contained enough residual power to be believable, and sent them towards Piccolo. He then moved as fast as possible to behind Piccolo's location and dropped his power.

Piccolo watched in a bit of confusion as Ron simply threw the blast to the ground. Seconds later, he watched as multiple Ron's came flying at him. He almost laughed at the stupidity. Multiform techniques lowered the overall power of the fighter. Tensing up, he moved forward to dispatch them. The first one was dispatched with ease, or so Piccolo thought. As his hand passed through the illusion, it smiled and exploded, throwing him to the ground. Piccolo was up in an instant, growling. He quickly began moving backwards to avoid the attacks of the second illusion. Behind him, Ron was preparing to gather all his energy for a final attack.

Suddenly, Piccolo hit the right spot. The clone stopped, causing Piccolo to stop in confusion. With a bow, it vanished with a faint pop. Ron sprang forward, a roar spewing forth from his lips. His energy exploded into the face of a very surprised Piccolo. The resulting explosion was tremendous. For a few seconds, nothing was visible, but as the smoke cleared, Ron began to panic. "Piccolo? Oh crap, I put too much into it!"

His fears were allayed several seconds later as a fist knocked him to the floor. "Lesson number one!" A foot knocked him back into the air. "Never let your guard down!" Ron was tumbling blindly through the air. "Lesson number two!" Ron heard exactly where Piccolo was and struck out, nearly cheering when his fist connected with Piccolo's face.

"Never alert the enemy to your location before you attack!" He dropped to the ground and lay panting as Piccolo gathered back his balance.

"Good job kid. Seems like you've learned something after all." He lowered his hand which Ron cautiously accepted. When they were both standing, Piccolo began the long walk back to the door. "That was a good technique there. I didn't teach it to you."

"Yeah, it was a kind of spur of the moment idea. I thought that making clones of myself and sending them after you was a good distraction. The explosion part was a bit extra I hadn't expected myself. Though it did work quite nice from what I saw." Ron grinned at Piccolo who could only glare.

"Yes, I'm proud you've already developed your own technique. Keep the ability close, and only teach it to those you trust the most. You never know when you'll need that ability in your pocket ready to break out in a battle." They finally reached the living area. Piccolo shrugged on his cape and turban. "Gather your things, we leave this hell hole in an hour."

Ron gathered everything together except the chess set. Boxing it up, he walked over and handed it to Piccolo. "Maybe you should teach Dende to play." Piccolo grinned and accepted the gift.

"Maybe I should."

"So Piccolo, think I could beat either Harry or Gohan?" Ron asked in pure curiosity.

Piccolo almost outright laughed. "If you kept your wits and used all the strategy I've taught you, you could likely take Harry. Though he has more raw power. As for Gohan, well no one alive right now could take him, myself included."

Ron looked down at the ground for a moment. Piccolo stepped forward and began to turn the handle of the door. Ron's next statement stopped him for a moment. "Who could?"

Piccolo turned halfway and looked at Ron. "Son Goku. The greatest fighter the universe has ever known. And more than likely, he'll be back. The Earth tells me that his destiny has yet to be finished." Saying no more, Piccolo opened the door and walked out. Ron came right behind him, deep in thought.

After their morning spar, and breakfast, Harry and Gohan had spent the entire day studying. Gohan was currently working on furthering Harry's magical abilities to an acceptable level. "The thing you have to remember Harry, is that the wand waving and incanting that you normally do aren't going to be as effective for you. You have virtually unlimited possibilities. Albeit you do have the normal limitations, such as bringing life to someone or something like that, but you can perform virtually any other magical ability with a simple thought. The trick is to simply, not limit yourself by thinking normally. Although I would suggest using the same spell techniques as normal, such as the stunning curse, cleansing charms and other similar stuff. Of course, you won't have to use any incantations at all."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So it's similar to using ki, but pulling from a different center?" Gohan nodded. "I see… well let me give it a try." Harry easily dropped into a meditative state and began searching for the cool center of his magic. Within moments he found it and returned to normal with a firm hold over the magic. "Alright, I've got it, so now what?"

"Well it's probably gonna be something to do with your desire and imagination. I'm not entirely sure since I can't do it myself." Harry nodded and began to focus. "Try to transfigure that rock into a cup or something." Harry held his hand out to the rock and screwed his face up in concentration. After a few seconds, he stopped, frustrated.

"It's not working!" He growled out.

"Harry…" Gohan said. "You're trying to force it aren't you?" Harry opened his mouth to say something and then closed it in embarrassment, his face taking on the Weasley red. "The key to most energy manipulation is to coax it, to ask it even. Somehow I think magic is gonna have the same trigger." Harry nodded and held out his hand again.

This time Harry focused on his desire to have the rock change. Something began to happen, but some catalyst was missing; something that would trigger the change. Then it came to him. Magic was linked to emotion. "Gohan, what is the most powerful emotion?"

"I think you can figure that one out yourself man. What makes you feel your strongest, what makes you fight the hardest?"

Harry could only smile. The rock was suddenly a pair of cups filled with water. Reaching down, Harry grabbed one and held it into the air. "Cheers." Gohan laughed a bit and grabbed the other one. Raising it to Harry's glass he joined in the celebration.

"I take it that you figured it out?" Harry nodded. "Well I believe that is enough for today. Ron should be done soon in fact. So lets go back to my house and relax for a bit. I could use some of light reading." Gohan flew off with Harry not far behind.

They arrived quickly back at Gohan's house. Walking into the door, Gohan called out to his mom. "Mom! We are home!" Almost instantly, a blur slammed into his chest.

"Gohan!" Came the little voice. "You are home finally!"

Harry chuckled as Gohan spoke. "Yeah squirt, I'm home. Have you been a good little Goten for mom today?"

Goten's face reddened a bit. "Yes."

"Goten…"

"I made da fwood fall down." Gohan sighed.

"Were you putting your hands where they don't belong?" Goten nodded. "Will you do it again?" He shook his head vigorously in the negative. "Alright, well I'll remember that so you'd better not." He put Goten back down on the ground. "Now go along and play, dinner will be soon."

Goten ran away as fast as he could. Harry smiled at the interaction between the two. "It must be nice for him to have both a brother and a father figure. The little guy really looks up to you Gohan."

"Yeah, I only wish my dad could be here for the father part." His dark eyes seemed to cloud over for a second. "Well let's go read for a while. Ron should be arriving within the hour." They each grabbed a book they were working to finish and went outside to read in the sunshine. Gohan was reading a book about the Animagi, while Harry was trying to comprehend the basics of Occulumency. So far he had little trouble understanding the concept. Turns out that Snape once again failed miserably as a teacher by skipping the most important part, the teaching. They had been relaxing for nearly an hour when suddenly Gohan threw his hand forward, creating a ki shield between them and the blast that was about to hit.

Harry, used to Gohan's quick movements, placed a marker in his book and put it to the side. In seconds he was on his feet and in a fighting stance with Gohan in the same state. "Piccolo!" Gohan called out. "We sense you two coming almost ten minutes ago. You'll have to do better than that. Harry, scramble!" Gohan flew off into the trees on his left while Harry into the ones to the right. A blur raced after each one.

Harry dashed through the trees as fast as he could, which considering the training he completed, was extremely fast. He could feel the person behind him gaining. And judging by the speed and power, it had to be Piccolo. '_This must be a test. Well if he wants something interesting, he'll get it.' _ Without warning, Harry sent a barrage of energy at the ground ahead, throwing up a huge cloud of dust to blanket the area. He immediately dropped his power to nothing and fell flat on the ground behind a tree, not moving a muscle.

Piccolo stopped in momentary confusion, stunned by the action Harry had taken. He smirked. Obviously Gohan had taught him well. "Alright Harry, you've proved yourself, now come on out and lets go back." He was met only by a chuckle that reverberated around the clearing.

"You want me to come out? Sure thing." A fireball erupted from thin air and flew towards Piccolo's back. He turned to block it and was immediately attacked by a kick to his mid-back which sent him tumbling forward. He was up and turned towards the threat immediately, only to see nothing. "You didn't really think I would fall for such an obvious trick did you? Hah!" Harry's voice was still reverberating around the area.

Piccolo's smirk deepened if anything. "You wanna play? Let's do it then. Ahhhhh!" Piccolo yelled as he charged up a ball of energy. Within seconds he launched it at the ground sending a massive explosion rocketing outward. Harry was forced to take to the air or be blasted back, he chose the air. Piccolo wasted no time. In seconds they were moving back and forth across the sky, fists and legs moving at speeds too fast for the average person to comprehend. Showing no signs of letting up, the two continued to attack one another.

Gohan moved with the grace and speed of a natural born warrior, the foliage doing nothing to impede his movements. Soon, he came to an opening in the trees, landing in the middle, he waited. He wasn't forced to wait long. Soon Ron appeared in the same place he had entered the clearing. "I can't see Piccolo teaching you the direct approach. It's totally not his style."

Ron smirked. "No, the direct approach isn't his style." A different Ron appeared nearby. This Ron spoke. "He much prefers the tactical approach." A third Ron appeared near this one. "And so do I." Gohan smirked as they launched at him.

He easily dodged each and every attack. "See, the only problem with this tactic, is that I am incredibly attuned to energy. I can tell these aren't you. They are simple energy clones. Easily dispatched by an overload of energy." He shot a quick blast of energy at all three. "Your biggest problem, is that I can sense energy very well." He shot a small blast directly behind him with incredible accuracy. Ron was knocked onto his back with stars in his eyes. When he cleared his head, he found Gohan standing over him with a hand extended.  
Ron smiled and accepted the hand up. "You know, I at least got a hit in on Piccolo with that move. You really are as good as he says."

Gohan chuckled as they walked back towards the house. "Well, if you started training at the age of five, you might be just about at the same level. I did have a little extra boost though." He continued to give Ron a rundown of his life as they walked.

Harry and Piccolo were still battling it out high above the trees of the forest. With a final blow, they both jumped away from each other. "I have to admit, Gohan has taught you very well. I could expect nothing else of him. Let's head back now. I want to play you in chess to see if Ron was telling the truth about how abysmal you are."

Harry's mouth opened and closed in shock for a moment before he grew sullen. "That's cruel." He said as they both flew back towards the house. They both landed in front of Gohan and Ron who were talking on the ground.

"Looks like no one is dead, so everything must have gone well." Gohan said as they touched down. "I assume you enjoyed the test Piccolo?"

"Well it wasn't totally a test. Ron wanted to know just how strong you were, so I let him find out while I tested Harry here." Ron blushed a bit.

"Yeah, I learned my lesson. I didn't even get a hit in on him." He grumbled out. Everyone enjoyed a bit of a laugh at this, Piccolo only a smirk.

Gohan grabbed his book from the ground. "Well let's head in for dinner, I can smell it from here." As if on cue, his stomach let out a huge growl. "Piccolo, you are welcome to join us."

He shook his head. "No, I believe I will head back to the tower and show Dende how to play chess." Harry grumbled a bit and glared at both Ron and Piccolo. Piccolo smirked once more as he blasted off.

"Abysmal at chess am I?" He growled and sent a glare at Ron that promised pain later. Ron just smiled and followed Gohan into the house.

"Mom, is dinner ready?" Gohan stared at the mounds of food hungrily.

"Yes dear, it's finished." She turned and saw Ron standing there. "Oh, this must be Ron, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gohan's mom, call me Chichi."

Harry leaned over and whispered in Ron's ear. "Just stick with Chichi, she prefers it that way. And don't piss her off. Your mom and Ginny have nothing on her temper."

"I heard that." She said as she moved food to the table. "And it is true." Soon they were all seated and ready to dig in. Ron, being new was incredibly curious.

"Umm… Chichi, isn't this too much food? I mean I eat a lot, even more after this training, but wow."

"Just watch." She nodded and everyone began to eat. Ron was floored. Gohan and Goten were packing away food at a rate that made him look like a snail. And they were well mannered as well.

Harry spoke to Ron. "You'd better hurry mate, they don't slow down. Watch your hands though, they aren't incredibly picky." For the first time, Ron noticed that Harry was eating with the same speed as the two other boys. With a shrug, he began to tear into the food with a purpose. He did manage however, to emulate the manners of Gohan and the rest. Soon, he was eating with the same speed and still keeping polite and clean.

The three boys easily cleaned up after everyone was done, leaving the kitchen spotless. "Ron, we don't have much room, do you mind sleeping in the room with Harry?"

"Of course not, that's how it usually goes anyway." Ron replied with a shrug.

Another bed was quickly set up in the room with a little enlargement performed on the room itself. There was still plenty of space. After cleanup they all retired to get some extra reading in and sleep to prepare for the next day. After a short time, Harry looked over at Ron and spoke. "Ron?" He got a grunt out of the other boy. "I have something to admit to you. You might not like it."

"No, I don't mind if you date Ginny. I'd rather it be you than anyone else anyway. And besides, it's not like I'll be able to beat you up if I didn't like it. You have the edge on me magically and maybe even physically now. Besides, with a year of near solitude, I have had a chance to look at my attitudes and actions. Pampering Ginny is pretty idiotic. I finally realize that. I also plan on finally talking to Hermione. Well, I say talking, but I doubt that's what will end up happening." Ron finished with a pleased sigh.

Harry was stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. He fell back onto his bed with a sigh. "Well that went better than expected. I was expecting a long drawn out argument."

"Well being around Piccolo who never talks, you have plenty of time for self examination. I believe it was my chance to grow up." He sat up with a start. "By the way, is Hedwig around? I finally finished my eighteenth draft of a letter for Hermione and I wanna send it to her." Harry laughed.

"Only eighteen? I sent Hedwig off with my twentieth draft yesterday evening. Due to the distance, she probably only got there this afternoon and I told her to wait for a response." He settled back into his bed, still working hard to learn the book on Occulumency.

Ron settled back as well. "Dang, well I suppose I can send it tomorrow." He was reading a bit about Runes. It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep.

_Ginny,_

_Surprised that you wrote me? Yes I actually was. But, I think it ranks among the top 3 best surprises I have had this summer. (You'll have to wait to find out the other two, though you might find them to be as wonderful as I do.) I've made a new friend. He helped me realize how stupid it is to blame myself about Sirius. Your words however, are what started the push in the right direction. I would like to fix the lack of friendship problem. I find you to be incredibly interesting and an amazing girl. Hopefully we can break past the shyness barrier **together**. I cannot wait to see you later this month. Write back soon. I have instructed Hedwig to wait on you and not come back until you have written. That will definitely solve the Pig problem. _

_Love,_

_Harry_

Ginny reread the letter for perhaps the hundredth time, a smile threatening to break her face. Hermione was on the other bed, giggling at the younger girl's actions. "Yes Ginny, the letter is completely real. It seems that Harry has finally realized that 'little Ginny Weasley' is indeed a girl."

Ginny fell back onto her bed clutching the letter to her chest. "But why did he put so much emphasis on the word 'together'?"

"I have a guess, but let us just wait and see. Go to bed, you can write him back in the morning." Hermione rolled over in her bed, her mind on the man of her dreams as well. Ginny smiled one last time as she placed the letter on her desk. She quickly snuffed out the light and was asleep with a smile plastered on her face.

JLHERC: Dear God… school drains any creative drive a person might have. Every major point and even the ending for this story are in my head. I just never have time to write the fillers and min-adventures. Sigh. Enjoy this update, I don't know when I can do the next.


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